Sarah Silverman’s had a one-of-a-kind journey in this industry, making the most of the exceptional comedic chops that have been on display since day one and also building on that skill set more and more with each new project. With her newest feature film, Marry Me, now in theaters and available to stream on Peacock, Silverman took the time to join us for an episode of Collider Ladies Night to retrace her steps from her earliest inspirations to her latest releases.

As for Marry Me, that one stars Jennifer Lopez as Kat Valdez, a music superstar who’s also a power couple with the hugely popular Bastian (Maluma). Just before getting married in front of a massive concert crowd, Kat comes to learn that Bastian’s been cheating on her. She goes back out on stage anyway and spirals, making the impulsive decision to marry someone in the audience instead — Owen Wilson’s Charlie Gilbert. The spontaneous stunt turns into so much more when the two really do develop feelings for one another. But, can the connection last when they come from such different worlds?

Sarah Silverman and Owen Wilson in Marry Me
Image via Universal

While covering the earlier days of Silverman’s passion for stand-up, she explained how she came to the decision that, what was best for her, was to leave college behind and get to work.

“I was a drama major for the one year of NYU I went to, but I also was doing open mic nights and I had a job. I passed out fliers for a comedy club on 3rd street called The Boston Comedy Club. So I worked from 4pm to 2am every day and then I’d have 8am classes uptown, and I was sleeping through my classes. And I’ve always been a good student. I was horrified! I just couldn’t keep myself awake.”

From there, Silverman took a year off and during that break, came to the conclusion that she had to change majors, planning to go from acting to the College of Arts and Sciences so she could study philosophy, English, and history. However, just before returning to school, her father told her something that inspired her to change course entirely.

“Before I entered, my dad said, ‘Listen, if you drop out of school and you could just focus on stand-up, would you want to do that? And I go, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘I’ll pay your rent and utilities for the next three years, what would be your sophomore, junior, senior year, and do it.’ And then by the time I would have graduated, I supported myself since I was 22. I couldn’t believe he believed in me like that.”

Sarah Silverman in Take This Waltz
Image via Magnolia Pictures

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In addition to finding great success in the stand-up realm, Silverman’s built up a significant filmography over the years with titles like School of Rock, the Wreck-It Ralph movies, and I Smile Back, a film that earned her a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. When talking about feature projects that made an especially big impression on her, Silverman opted to highlight the 2011 release, Take This Waltz.

“Sarah Polley wrote and directed it. I had wonderful experiences, but this was the first time I was like, ‘Wow, someone can have a vision and know exactly what she wants and be in total control and be this brilliant director and lovely, and kind, and never loses her sh*t.’ I was like, ‘Oh right, yeah! That doesn’t just go with the territory.’ People have become more and more aware of behavior on sets, but that was a real experience of something I wanted to emulate and realize, 'Come on!' Anytime you feel like you want to complain, you’re like, 'This is the dream, right? Stop! Just have fun.' This is not a life we should be going through with furrowed brow.”

Jennifer Lopez in Marry Me
Image via Universal

Silverman’s continued to surround herself with positive influences. In fact, on Marry Me, she was lucky enough to be working alongside two industry powerhouses, Lopez and her producing partner, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas.

“She and her partner, Elaine, are just a huge force in this industry. They’re an empire and they built it, and every decision you see them working together. They’ve been together for years. The relationship is so lovely to see, but boy, there isn’t anything they can’t do. They have so many things [happening], they’re developing — Marry Me was years in the process. She’s a boss, you know? It’s not language I usually use, but she is someone I would say that about. She really excels at everything. She’s prepared. She’s just a pro. It’s really cool to see.”

Looking for more on Silverman’s journey to Marry Me? Check out her episode of Collider Ladies Night at the top of this article or listen to the uncut version of the conversation below to hear more about her one-year run on Saturday Night Live, what she took from working on I Smile Back, her experience working with Blair Underwood as a director, and so much more!