I Love You, Man!

'Parks and Recreation’s' Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones (returning January 20 on NBC as Pawnee BFFs Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins) talk about the blurring of lines between their characters’ friendship and their own

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ELLE:  I'm watching a video of you two.

Rashida Jones:  Are you watching our lesbian video on YouTube?

Amy Poehler:  Yeah, it's pretty funny. Someone put together all the scenes of Ann and Leslie and then put a Counting Crows song to it. It looks like Parks and Rec is a love story about two women.

ELLE:  Are you guys hugging right now?

RJ: Actually, we're spooning.

ELLE: What's a typical girls' night in for Ann and Leslie, and for Amy and Rashida?

RJ:  Are they that different?

AP: Oh, God, that's so depressing! Well, for Ann and Leslie, going over to Ann's house.

RJ:  Ann cooking. Definitely some talking. There's a lot of celebration of friendship.

AP:  We'd watch Fried Green Tomatoes.

RJ:  Lady movies.

AP:  And a night in for Amy and Rashida is the top of the Palms casino...

RJ:  High rolling...

AP:  Splitting a bottle with Jay-Z. Just sitting in a booth counting our money.

ELLE: What would happen if you ever showed up to a party in the same outfit?

AP:  Rashida has the best style. It would mean Rashida helped me, or she was having a bad day.

RJ:  That's not true, Poehls. We just went shopping and pretty much bought all the same clothes.

AP:  All I did was buy everything Rashida did, but in just a little bit bigger size.

ELLE:  Are you ready for "Who Wore It Best"?

RJ:  Yeah, we're actually going to take the pictures together to make it easier for everybody.

AP: You know who wore it best? The taller one.

ELLE:  What TV girlfriends do you compare yourselves to?

RJ:  Lucy and Ethel were definitely like an early model for Leslie and Ann, for the writers.

AP:  We're like Dee...

RJ:  And Rerun!

AP: We're like Dee and Rerun in What's Happening!! We're like two Mandrell Sisters.

RJ:  Does that mean you're Barbara?

AP:  I don't know who I am in that.

ELLE: What were your first impressions of each other?

RJ:  I do remember, like, that semi–high school moment where I'm like, "Oh my God, she's so cool. She shouldn't be this cool for how talented she is and how pretty she is."

AP:  I've met a lot of my closest friends after I turned 30, and Rashida's certainly one of them. It's so nice to be able to find a like-minded person who you really admire. And who's your homie.

RJ:  I'm going to cry.

AP: I think you should title this sidebar "Straight-up Homies." And then you should write, "What's happening now? They're happening!" And then for the art, we don't want our faces.

RJ: Maybe some animals.

AP: Or just like, will you superimpose our faces on the supermodels in the George Michael "Freedom! '90" video?

RJ:  Perfect. By the bathtub.

ELLE:  So do you guys ever fight?

RJ: We had a bad mis-text fight.

AP:  Yes, I was like, "Hey, we're at the Palms with Jay-Z."

RJ:  And I was like, "I'm at the Bellagio."

AP: Right, and then you were like, "You never told me!" And I was like, "Oh God, I'm sorry." We didn't talk for two years after that.

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