Sarah Silverman has revealed how taking on her first leading – and dramatic – role was terrifying.

The funnywoman stars as a depressed housewife and mother-of-two, who escapes from her life through drugs and sex, in Adam Salky’s bleak drama I Smile Back, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.

“It was scary and exciting,” she said. “I didn’t think much about it going on, I do things pretty blindly, and I thought this isn’t funny at all.”

Sarah Silverman (JPA/AFF/EMPICS)
Sarah Silverman (JPA/AFF/EMPICS)

She continued: “It felt really low for a long time. You stay in a kind of energy that is of the movie and it’s a bummer but it was worth it. It was exciting and weird. It was dark, I stayed in a dark place. We’d still have belly laughs in between takes.”

The 44-year-old stand-up comedienne joked that watching crime dramas brought her out of her misery.

“I could only snap out of it with a Law and Order marathon of some kind,” she quipped.

Sarah previously appeared in comedies such as A Million Ways To Die In The West, Take This Waltz and School Of Rock, as well as a voice role in Wreck-It Ralph, and is proud to play the lead at last.

Sarah Silverman (DANIEL TOROK/AP)
Sarah Silverman (DANIEL TOROK/AP)

“It’s an honour, I’m very happy to be part of it. I’m far too lazy to be pursuing things, this fell on my lap. It came to me and I know when I’m lucky, so I said thank you, and went for it. I hope people like it,” she said.

Amy Koppelman, who wrote the movie, decided to cast Sarah after hearing her speak to US shock jock Howard Stern about her battle with depression when she was a teenager.

The actress said: “I just like how subjective it is to this character being likeable. Some people find her very unsympathetic, and some will find her sympathetic and it will depend on where they’re coming from and their life experience.”