Jenny Slate avoids joining long-running projects due to 'short attention span'

Jenny Slate has avoided signing up for long-running projects because she has "a very short attention span".

The actress served as a cast member on U.S. sketch show Saturday Night Live for the 2009-10 series and realised she couldn't be contracted to a TV show for an unlimited number of seasons.

"I think, sure, there's a way in which I could have probably had a really successful career doing maybe network sitcoms, and I didn't want to do that because I have a very short attention span," she explained in a cover interview with Marie Claire. "I don't like the idea of being under contract for a long time. I think even after being on SNL, and just returning to the same studio every day, I was like, 'As an animal, I don't like this.'"

The 39-year-old, who has long-running voice roles on Bob's Burgers and Big Mouth, added that her career has been varied because people in the industry didn't know what to do with her and because she's "not super interested in jumping up my agents' butts".

The Obvious Child actress is promoting her new movie, I Want You Back, which she filmed three months after giving birth to her daughter Ida. She praised the crew for accommodating her need to pump milk every three hours and her co-star Gina Rodriguez for encouraging her to express her needs.

"Making that film has definitely changed the way that I'll make all of my other work. I started to advocate for myself," she said. "Gina actually said this to me on set: The whole deal about making sure you can get what you want at work is to do it kindly and clearly, and not be sliding around in terms of who you hope to soothe or placate, but just be like, 'This is what it needs to be for me.' Now it just wouldn't be worth it to me to compromise."