Sundance 2013: Lake Bell Sheds Light on 'Rampant,' 'Real' Hollywood Issue With 'In a World…' (Video)

In Lake Bell’s screenwriting and directorial debut In a World..., which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Carol (Bell) faces an uphill battle as she navigates the male-dominated world of Hollywood’s voice-over talent.

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“I wanted to have Carol trying to go down this path of achieving this goal of being a voice-over star, and then she realizes that her real passion is to help these women take away this affectation and this tonal vocal virus,” said Bell during a visit to The Hollywood Reporter’s video lounge in Park City. Launching into the classic (and hilarious) “sexy baby” voice, Bell notes that  “it’s funny, but it’s real. It is a real issue and it is rampant.”

And while female directors have long been an underserved segment of the industry, as well, this year’s fest boasted a 50 percent ratio of male to female filmmakers in competition. As for Bell, her first outing as a helmer proved a welcome challenge.

“It’s my first features as a writer, director, actor and co-producer, so there was no mystery about, ‘Oh, this is probably going to be OK,'" Bell said with a smile. “I’m like, ‘No, this is going to be goddamn hard.’”

For more from Bell, including which scene she couldn’t make it through without laughing, watch the video above.

Reporting by Stacey Wilson.