Anna Faris' podcast was a lifeline after her divorce from Chris Pratt in 2018.

The 49-year-old actress said the breakup with the 46-year-old actor after eight years of marriage made her want to live a life free of public judgment.

She told Variety: "I was feeling sad.

"I do feel like I had enough gumption, enough of a core, and I have tried to be careful about how much Hollywood infiltrates, but now I've been on a spectrum of fame for 26 years, so I would be naïve to think that it hasn't shaped who I am at this point.

"But, f***. The scrutiny."

The Scary Movie icon - who has a 13-year-old son named Jack with Chris - found comfort in building a "secret community" with her podcast, Anna Faris Is Unqualified.

She continued: "I'm lucky that at that time I had my podcast [Unqualified]. That goes back to the talk radio. I wanted, like, four people to listen and to build my own secret community.

"I wanted an avenue outside of Hollywood as a way to connect with people."

Anna launched the podcast in 2015, and while she "didn't disclose a lot" on it, the Just Friends star said she felt she could "if I needed to".

Anna said: "I used to do this thing on ski lifts where, if I was on a ski lift with a stranger, I'd say, 'Do you want to have a really intense 10-minute conversation with me? And you can answer any question you want to.'

"And I'd ask them questions like, 'When was the first time you fell in love?' I've had a constant desire to connect with people. I didn't disclose a lot on the podcast, but I always felt like I could if I needed to."

The Hot Chick alum said making episodes of her podcast "helped me a lot" during the time of heartbreak.

Anna added: "And it made me think: I know I could be happy if I'm writing, because I've always loved that, and maybe that's an avenue to make money. I was thinking of a version of retirement. But now, I feel like the opportunities are more bountiful than they've ever been!

"I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude. When people see me, they usually smile and say, 'Oh, I love The House Bunny!' Or, 'Oh, I love Scary Movie!' Or, 'Mom' helped me through that hard time.'"

The Overboard alum and Chris - who split in 2017, with their divorce finalised the following year - remain on good terms.

In an interview with People in 2017, Anna said of the Guardians of the Galaxy star: "We'll always have each other and be incredible friends.

"There is still so much laughter in our lives together, and he is so proud of me, still. We watched each other grow, and he still cracks me up all the time. And I think I crack him up - unless he's a really good actor and great at faking laughter.

"Chris and I are really great friends, and I think that we always will be."

The pair have since found love - Chris has been married to 36-year-old author Katherine Schwarzenegger since 2019, and they have daughters Lyla, five, and Eloise, four, and a 19-month-old son named Ford.

Anna, meanwhile, got hitched to 56-year-old cinematographer Michael Barrett in 2021.