Inside Jillian Bell’s Bold Career Pivot: from Comedy Breakouts to Leading the New 'Splash'
By Elena Rostova
In 2019, Bell took on Paul Downs Colaizzo’s directorial debut, Brittany Runs a Marathon. The film centers on a twenty-something New Yorker wrestling with toxic habits, emotional deflection, and body image struggles before committing to train for the New York City Marathon. The production asked Bell to undertake an intense physical regimen, losing roughly forty pounds alongside her character's journey, but the emotional labor carried far more weight on screen.
Punch Drunk Critics noted that Bell’s performance anchored what could have easily slipped into a cliché inspirational sports narrative. Bell portrayed Brittany as prickly, occasionally cruel, and deeply defensive, resisting the urge to make the protagonist unearnedly likable. When Amazon Studios acquired the worldwide rights for $14 million at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, it marked one of the largest sales of that festival cycle. The film took home the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, establishing Bell as a viable dramatic lead capable of holding down an entire emotional narrative.
Elena Rostova holds a Master's degree in Public Health Journalism. She covers groundbreaking medical research, holistic wellness trends, mental health awareness, and nutritional science.
