Anna Faris Was Grateful for 'Mental Distraction' of New Project After Losing Home in L.A. Fires (Exclusive)

"I'm aware of how fortunate we are. But it was, and still kind of continues to be a little bit surreal," Faris tells PEOPLE while promoting her Scrubbing Bubbles partnership

Anna Faris
Anna Faris poses during a press conference to promote the film Hombre al Agua at St. Regis Hotel on May 07, 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico. Photo:

Carlos Tischler/Getty

Anna Faris is finding gratitude after enduring hardship.

The Scary Movie actress was among the more than 80,000 people displaced by the deadly wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January, Her home burned down but she and her family were unharmed.

Not long after, Faris would begin working on a new project, a partnership with Scrubbing Bubbles. She teamed up with the popular bathroom cleaning brand to show how its latest product, Scrubbing Bubbles Easy Clean, can help make this daunting task of household cleaning easier — and she evem thought of a fun campaign video to go along with it.

"We shot the campaign about a week after we lost our house in the Palisades," Faris, 48, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"[The Scrubbing Bubbles team] were so kind. They put us up at a hotel," she continues. "It was amazing to have the mental distraction of shooting the campaign and getting to laugh. Be just completely distracted from the jarring reality."

"I'm aware of how fortunate we are. But it was, and still kind of continues to be a little bit surreal, so I'm really grateful. It felt like they just had my back," she adds.

In the campaign video that she shot, the House Bunny actress put her comedic chops to work as she "went undercover as a sort of corporate recruiting lady," she says. "I interviewed unknowing participants for this campaign. I would say things, like, 'Have you ever used a bathroom?'"

Yet, it's hard not to recognize Faris, who has been a mainstay in the entertainment industry since the 90s. "As much as I wanted to be undercover, my voice gives me away pretty instantly," she says,

"But I was like, 'Just hold it together, hold it together. Look at them steadily in the eye.' Then, I would demonstrate the product with them, and then there would be a big reveal," she explains. "Our  Scrubbing Bubble mascot would come out, and confetti would fall from the ceilings. It was a really fun shoot."

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Faris was admittedly "just terrified" to take part in the deception at first.

"I am sincere to a fault," she says. "It wasn't that I was tricking people at all, but I was scared to be asking such ridiculous questions under this guise. But people were really kind and supportive." 

Anna Faris Scrubbing Bubbles
Anna Faris in Scrubbing Bubbles' new campaign.

Courtesy Scrubbing Bubbles

Shooting the video campaign isn't the only project Faris has been working on in recent weeks. In fact, she has been filming her upcoming comedy Spa Weekend alongside Isla Fisher and Leslie Mann.

"I had been thinking about how sad I'll be when it's over. We have formed a tighter bond than I could have ever imagined," she says. "We're all moms, we're all at a place where we're incredibly generous to each other in all aspects. We are texting all the time." (Faris shares son Jack, 12, with ex Chris Pratt.)

The Mom alum adds, "It's been so important to me, especially at this time of life. I'm immensely grateful that they're dear friends that make me laugh all day long. I have high hopes for the movie, I think it's going to be hysterical."

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