Natalie Morales is back and better than ever in No Hard Feelings, a raunchy comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew Broderick, Andrew Barth Feldman and Laura Benanti, in which she plays Sara, Lawrence’s character’s best friend. The film was written by Gene Stupnitsky, who Morales has known for a long time, as he worked on Trophy Wife with her. As luck would have it, he called her up and asked her to specifically play the role of Sara.

“It wasn’t like I had to play a shoemaker in the 18th century in London [laughs]. The majority of the character is being a friend to Jennifer’s character. I was just trying to make Gene happy,” the 38-year-old exclusively tells GRAZIA USA, adding that starring alongside Lawrence, 32, was an added bonus. “We got to know each other really well, and she was a pleasure to work with. We had some nice heart-to-hearts.”

The flick, which releases on Friday, June 23, focuses on Maddie Barker (Lawrence), who is on the brink of losing her childhood home, so she agrees to date a wealthy couple’s awkward 19-year-old son (Feldman) before he leaves for college.

“I don’t think we’ve seen Jennifer do a comedy like this before. We all know she’s funny, but I can’t think of anything where she’s done a straight comedy before. She’s so good in it. It’s a wild, fun summer movie, and it’s the kind you want to watch in the movie theater with your friends because crazy stuff happens,” she quips. “I love Jen  — part of the reason I took this job was to work with her. I felt like we would get along really well, and she’s so talented. I was excited to see her in something like this.”

The Parks and Recreation alum is everywhere right now: from starring in No Hard Feelings to Dead to Me and The Morning Show, it’s safe to say she’s living the dream. “I feel so lucky to have been able to work on The Morning Show. Everyone was so kind to me, and it’s a big cast and production, and they welcomed me in such a kind way. Both Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are so sweet. I spent more time with Jen than Reese, and she was so warm and gave me the biggest hug. She’s the best,” she recalls.

“The thing you learn is when you see someone at the top of their game, you observe how they treat people and their work ethic. All of the women were at the top of their game, and it’s inspiring to see that,” she adds.

For The Morning Show,  the Hollywood starlet didn’t have to audition — something she’s always grateful for. “I love working with these people, and it was a different role than I’ve ever played before, which was cool. It was great to be part of a show that I’m already a fan of,” she gushes.

Since the brunette beauty has dipped her toes in both comedy and drama, she hopes to continue dabbling in both genres going forward. “I don’t like repeating myself as an actor or director or anything. I like to play different kinds of roles,” she shares. “It’s not that I prefer comedy or drama, they’re both an interesting challenge in different ways. If it’s a long-term show, I would love to be on a comedy because there’s less crying! If you’re making people laugh every day, that’s a better way to live, but I really like both.”

Morales also directed the Hulu film Plan B, which is the story of two besties searching for the Plan B pill, in addition to writing, directing and co-starring in Language Lessons with Mark Duplass. “Plan B was a comedy, and then Language Lessons was the total opposite. At the time, I wasn’t getting cast in things, so I thought, ‘I need to start writing and making my own stuff.’ I did, and then I thought, ‘I have to find a director for these things.’ I then figured I should learn how to direct. I have a lot of friends who are in the music industry and very talented, so I started directing music videos to practice directing. I started working on Funny or Die things, and then I moved onto TV and movies. Once I started directing, I was like, ‘I’m good at this! This is what I should be doing!’ But I still love performing and writing, too,” she explains.

For Morales, “directing is a much larger responsibility,” as you’re working on the movie or show through pre-production and shooting almost every single thing, even when the lead actor is not there. “Then it’s the editing process and all of post-production. The movie takes up a lot of space,” she says. “There are actors who only focus on their part and the character, and then there are actors who can see their part in the whole movie, and I am definitely the latter.”

As a director, the Trophy Wife alum wants people to “be heard” and set the right tone when on set. While directing Plan B, it was during the 2020 election and the pandemic, so it was stressful for everyone, which is why she made sure to create a warm and inviting environment. “I want them to feel excited about what they’re doing. I want them to feel like they are not being micromanaged. I want them to feel like they got to express themselves. I hire people who are better at their jobs than I could ever be. I love being able to be the captain of a ship where we’re all facing the same direction,” she says. “I take it very seriously because I’ve been on sets where the vibe isn’t fun and everyone goes home tired. Life could be better than that, so why not make great art that we feel happy about at the end of the day. That’s what I want to do.”

Morales got bit by the acting bug in high school after taking part in drama in high school. “I was like, ‘This is the only thing I’ve ever felt this way about,’ and I still feel this way about it. I feel very, very lucky that I get to do what I do. I wake up every day, and I am like, ‘I’ve already done everything I could ever do.’ So, everything now is just a bonus. It’s exciting,” she gushes. “I’ve been in a movie, on a TV show, I’ve acted with Jennifer Aniston. I’ve done so many things in my career that I could have only dreamt of. I didn’t believe any of this was possible.”

After all this time, Morales feels like she’s broken through enough walls where she can be more picky when it comes to choosing roles. “I’ve learned to trust my own gut and be at the helm of my own life instead of doing what other people might want for me,” she says. “I think that’s where I’ve evolved the most. I have my own back in that way.”

Going forward, Morales wants to continue writing, directing and starring in her own material. “Language Lessons was such a good experience, and I know I have more ideas in me. There’s so many directors and actors I’m dying to work with. I’m so thankful and grateful I get to do this. It’s very exciting. No matter where you come from, go for it. My family is Cuban refugees, and they were very poor growing up. I had no connections or experience, but you need to do what makes you happy,” she states.

“The world is my oyster, and I’m excited to see what else this crazy life has in store for me,” she concludes.

No Hard Feelings is now out in theaters.

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