When music producer Quincy Jones is your dad and your mother is actress Peggy Lipton, chances are entertaining is something you're born to pursue. Rashida Jones has dabbled in both music and acting, but it's on the big screen where she shines brightest.

Having worked with Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson and Craig Robinson on TV's 'The Office,' Jones has been exposed to plenty of comedians. That paved the way for another sitcom, 'Parks and Recreation,' with 'SNL' alum Amy Poehler, which is due out next month.

For her first major role, Jones appears alongside Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in the comedy 'I Love You, Man,' which comes out March 20. She plays the fiance of Rudd's character, who's lacking male friends and goes on several man dates to find the perfect BFF.

In speaking with Black Voices, Jones talks about her character, working with Rudd and her parents' influence on her.

Rashida Jones: It's really fun. It's such a good position to be in, because you just get to absorb everyone else's hilarity. It's sometimes difficult to not crack up and ruin takes.

What's the strategy for not cracking up?

RJ: You just have to not make direct eye contact. In the engagement party scene, when Jason [Segel] is giving that speech, I couldn't get through it. He couldn't get through it, so I couldn't get through it, and he was saying the whole thing to me. I just looked away. I was like, I'm sorry, but I'm off camera. It's either this or we don't get through it.

What's your experience and philosophy about man love?

RJ: I actually think that this is a very topical, modern dilemma in a weird sociological way, I'm glad that we're confronting it, because I think it's really hard for men to find friends or to reach out to friends without feeling that they're compromising their machismo. I think that they need to start stepping it up, because women are very good at that. Women are good at being emotionally expressive and being intimate with their friends. I feel like it's about time. This is the right time for men to start feeling more comfortable with being intimate in a heterosexual way, or however they choose to be, with other men.

Why do you think it's so hard for men to bond like women do?

RJ: I think that they're still kind of held back by stereotypes. I feel like women have had women's lib and all these revolutions where they've evolved and have been able to do whatever it is, have kids, nurture, be nurtured, be independent, be a business woman, and it's the cultural norm. Guys really haven't had that breakthrough moment where it's okay to cry, where it's okay to tell your friend that you love him or that it's okay to go and find friends.

Did you get to improvise a lot on this?

RJ: I did, yeah. The nice thing about improv is that if someone improvs with you, you have to talk back to them or else the scene is over. So it was good. It kind of forced me to do it over and over. It scares me so much because to be good at it is just the most wonderful experience, and I was with two guys who are so good at it. They just elevated me because they're so good at it, and they made it very safe and easy to not mess up.

Did you have conversations with your coworkers about man love?

RJ: I didn't have to have any conversations with them because there's so much man love between those two actors. They love each other so much. I just got to sit back and witness it. It's kind of a sweet, sweet thing.

Did you and Paul talk about your characters before shooting the film?

RJ: We did.

Did that chemistry come naturally to you two?

RJ: Well, we had the fortune of having 10 years of friendship as prep work. We've known each other for a long time, which made it a lot easier. It feels a little bit like a cheat because we do care about each other and are friends already. We wanted to make sure that I didn't seem like the nagging girlfriend who was like, "Spend more time with me," and that he didn't seem like too much of a sap or confused and out of control. We did try our best on that. We worked with John and did a bunch of rehearsals to find that perfect note for that relationship.

At what point in your life did you know that comedy was something you wanted to do?

RJ: You know what, it was kind of a slow burn. I've always been a huge comedy geek, like I love stand-up. Anything comedy related I've always just feasted on, but I didn't know if I would be good at it or if people would want to cast me like that. It took me a long time to get cast in anything comedy related because it is kind of a small world and they use the same people all the time. But now I'm in it a little bit. It's the best job in the world. You get to laugh all day long, and it's so fun to watch talented comedians as your job. I'd be open to doing other stuff, but I think to also make someone laugh, it's such a subjective thing, what people find funny. To make a group of people laugh is such a huge achievement.

What happened to that Harvard education?

RJ: I know, right. What a waste [laughs]. It all amounted to this moment.

What did you study there?

RJ: Religion and philosophy.

Can you talk about the differences between American humor and British humor?

RJ: I think especially in movies, American humor is changing...courtesy of Judd Apatow and other things. But British humor has always been historically very dry. They don't ever pander to their audiences. I feel like with this new crop of movies, we're kind of starting to catch on to that, and we're starting to converge a little bit. Maybe the American 'Office' had something to do with that, the success of that. I feel like there's more emotion in American humor.

Were your parents surprised by the direction you took after graduating?

RJ: Not surprised. It wasn't a huge surprise because they're both in similar fields. My dad was always like, "Study this and study that because that's the most important thing!" They would support me no matter what I did, and I mean they told me that a million times. They just knew that it was going to be a hard journey and they were right. To be a young actor is not an easy task. There's a lot of rejection.

You mean they didn't want you to go into the arts?

RJ: Yeah, can you believe it? That's the thing though, both of my parents always work from their hearts, and I don't think that they would want me to work from any other place.

How has your fan base change?

RJ: It's been nice. At this point, people who were fans of 'The Office' are fans. I mean, they're hardcore fans. Most people only approach me to be nice, which is really sweet. It's still something that catches you off guard when it's 8 a.m. and you feel like you're alone and you're getting a coffee and someone recognizes you. You almost forget that you're in public. So that's been really nice. It's definitely changing. I got followed by one of those TMZ guys the other day, and I did not enjoy that very much. I mean, I understand that's a part of that whole thing you signed up for, but I don't think that I really signed up to be followed by a stalker.

What are the carry overs to the new show you're doing with 'Parks and Recreation'? Or is it a new character totally?

RJ: It's a new character, a new world. A similar documentary style, but Greg Daniels, our creator, is always saying that 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'Friends' are kind of in the same format, but that doesn't make them similar shows.

So it's the same shooting style as 'The Office'?

RJ: It is documentary style, but the people, the documentary crew, come to it in a different way. I'm the concerned citizen whose boyfriend has hurt himself falling into this huge pit in front of our house. He broke his legs, and I want something to be done about it because it's front of my house and it's horrible and people are getting hurt. Amy Poehler plays the deputy head of Parks and Recreation, and she's being followed for a documentary on local government. Our characters come together and become friends and start to work on this project together.

Has it been a help or a hindrance having famous parents?

RJ: The celebrity part of it, in a weird way, and no one is ever going to believe me, was kind of a hindrance. When I was young and trying to come up in the business, everyone assumed that I got help. It doesn't matter how many times I told them that I didn't. So everyone wants to be the one to counteract that. Like, "I'm not giving her any handouts. She gets so many handouts." Everyone feels that way, and, listen, if I had gotten a handout, I definitely would've taken it because it was so hard. I just never got any [laughs]. But that's okay. It's better this way, because now I got here by myself.