Will McCormack and Rashida Jones. (Andrew Toth/PatrickMcMullan.com)

It isn't rare for Hollywood stars to step out of the spotlight and behind the scenes of late, with names as big as Madonna and Angelina Jolie getting Oscar buzz last year for their stints in the director's chair. The newest actor-turned-something-else is Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones, who, along with friend and fellow actor Will McCormack, wrote the script for new release Celeste and Jesse Forever, in which they both appear. (Read our review here.) At last night's Peggy Siegal Company special screening, in support of the International Rescue Committee, Ms. Jones and Mr. McCormack gave The Observer the lowdown on writing their own characters. "Most people would write a superhero, or some kind of animated character, I just picked a business woman," joked Ms. Jones. "Thats my aspiration."

"So no fantasy role that you've always been dying to give yourself?" we asked.

"I just wanted a character that could run the gamut of emotion," came the honest response. "I got a chance to be kind of unlikable, and that was great," Ms. Jones reported.

Mr. McCormack gave us a more personal side to the story.  "We dated for three weeks back in 1999," he told The Observer of his relationship to Ms. Jones, "We were set  up by my sister, she said we were going to be soul mates. And we actually are, but just better as friends."  Mr. McCormack, however, does not play the romantic interest but a character named Skillz: the movie's generous provider of comic relief and marijuana, both in copious amounts.  His fantasy movie role? "Skillz."

"I was happy to play the pot dealer," he told us meaningfully "I felt very connected to that part."

Celeste and Jesse Forever opens tomorrow, August 3, in NYC.

Director Jay Roach at the Peggy Siegal Company and Svedka Vodka screening of The Campaign. (Andrew Toth/PatrickMcMullan.com)

"If I hadn't gone into film I would have been in politics," Jay Roach, director of The Campaign, told The Observer last night at a screening after party. "I was a big student council guy."

Taking our cue from the lighthearted atmosphere a night of comedy, dim lighting, and celebrity schmoozing at the Lower East Side restaurant of Sons of Essex, we prodded for the punch line. "Oh yeah? And what would your platform be?" we shot back, not without a bit of skeptical sarcasm. "Mental illness" came the reply. We quickly swallowed our laughter. "It's something that's really not spoken about--it's not a sexy topic," Mr. Roach continued earnestly. "I really think it's a problem the way we don't take care of people in this country." A serious problem indeed!

After watching The Campaign, a comic exposé of the corruption of congressional elections in North Carolina, Mr. Roach's sincere reply came as a welcome surprise. The movie's political theme had seemed just that: at worst a ploy to make buck off the political tension of election year, at best, the backdrop for the main attraction provided by the slapstick comic stunts of headliners Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, both in attendance last night. But maybe Mr. Roach himself is as keenly invested in our government as his movie suggested he wasn't.

"Politicians are always under such scrutiny," Mr. Roach elaborated. "Whatever Obama does, whatever Romney does, it's always spun into something negative. That's why I make political movies," he told us, because maybe movies can make a difference when politicians' hands are tied.

Though Patrón's national events manager Chenoa Johnson told us the evening was originally planned to be poolside (the only way to drink tequila), even without the sunshine partygoers immersed themselves in the summery theme by feasting on Dos Toros gourmet tacos and Magnolia Bakery sweets while listening to Latin dance music. Ms. Hernandez described it as a "celebration of Latin culture": the food, the music, the tequila and the location. The event also included a private tour of the Barrio museum galleries: "I loved the exhibition," admitted Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at FIT, noting the great combination that contemporary art and yummy food make.

Click through to our slideshow for a peek at the festivities.