Jenny Slate Opens Up About Her Love for Romance in Everyday Life, from Dinner Choices to Pajama Selections

Jenny Slate at The Variety Studio during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

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NEED TO KNOW

• Jenny Slate appeared at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival alongside Chris Pine to promote their upcoming romantic drama, Carousel.
• During the film’s premiere, Slate expressed her belief in being a “big romantic” across all aspects of her life.
• She stated, “This isn’t my original idea, but there’s eroticism in everything,” emphasizing her desire to seek it out.

Jenny Slate is committed to infusing romance into every facet of her life. While promoting her latest film, Carousel, at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, the actress shared her outlook with reporters, revealing that she considers herself a “big romantic” both on-screen and in her daily interactions.

“I’m a romantic in what I choose for dinner, what pajamas I wear, not just like, you know, sexy,” Slate explained. “I’m talking, like, there’s romance in everything.”

She further elaborated, saying, “This isn’t my original idea, but there’s eroticism in everything, you know. The writer, Adrienne Maree Brown, you know, that whole theory. Anyway, I am one of these people that wants to find it everywhere, and I hope I do.”

Jenny Slate and Chris Pine attend the “Carousel” premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

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In Carousel, Slate plays Rebecca, the high school girlfriend of Chris Pine’s character, Noah, whose return home complicates Noah’s life. Reflecting on her performance, Slate noted, “It’s not that hard for me to fall into what feels like a moment of intensity.”

“I’m rather comfortable with that,” she added. “It’s more weird for me to have to play something that feels too perfect or unreal in one way or another, so I was pretty excited by some things that I find very romantic in that Chris and I play people who are each other’s one that got away.”

Chris Pine, 45, also shared his romantic side with reporters, stating, “I’m a lover of old Hollywood, old Hollywood glamour.” He added that working alongside Slate made the romantic dynamics in Carousel feel natural. “The woman that I was [meant to] fall in love with was Jenny Slate. And it’s not difficult to do that. It’s like, ‘Alright, now we’re in love.’ She’s great. She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s well-read.”

Outside of her film career, Slate has devoted time to raising her four-year-old daughter, Ida Lupine Shattuck, with her husband Ben Shattuck. She recently released her latest collection of essays, Lifeform. “It feels like I’ve set sail and I finally understand how to work all the riggings of my own ship,” reflected the star.

Jenny Slate and Ben Shattuck attend the Gotham TV Awards in June 2025.

Mike Coppola/Getty

Slate and Shattuck initially connected in January 2019 at the Sundance Film Festival. Eight months later, Shattuck proposed during a vacation in France. “He took me to France and made a picnic and made me feel happy and free and then he asked me to marry him and I screamed YES,” she shared in a subsequent Instagram post.