She's spent years stealing scenes as a supporting actor and now Jillian Bell is taking the lead

From the hit TV comedy Workaholics to the film Bridesmaids and 22 Jump Street to writing for Saturday Night Live, Jillian Bell has devoted her life to making you laugh. 

Now, the actor, comedian and screenwriter is stepping into the spotlight in her first leading movie role. Brittany Runs a Marathon is about the steps we take to change our lives, both personally and professionally.

The film is based on the true story of a girl named Brittany who feels stuck in life and decides to make a change by running the New York City marathon. 

Bell shares that Brittany Runs a Marathon has a different take on the transformation tale. The actor appreciated that the film shows how tough it can be to take the first step in making changes but how rewarding it is once you do.

To prepare for the role, Bell started running on her own and lost weight. She said that because of this, she was able to connect to her character both physically and emotionally.

Bell explained to q guest host Ali Hassan that the role allowed her to change the way she thinks about her body. Bell said, "It's made me embrace all the different bodies I've had in my life. It made me go back and say 'all of these women were joyful and in pain and had panic attacks but also had some of the best nights of her life' so it's cool to go back and think that none of these bodies were wrong, all of them were right and all of them are beautiful." 

Brittany Runs A Marathon is out now. 

— Produced by ​Vanessa Greco 

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