At the end of the day, I'm from Canada, and so there will never be a time when I'm suddenly not Canadian.
— Dan Levy
I grew up with my dad sitting us down at the holidays and putting on 'The Honeymooners.'
I've never really turned to my dad for anything, I think out of fear of the label of nepotism.
I'm good with furniture, very bad with plants.
I think I'd always been interested in performing.
People always ask about my dad and his comedic influence. It's funny because my mom is really the comedian of our household.
Shopping for guys in Toronto is a really tough thing because there's not a huge market for it.
I never felt comfortable hosting TV.
I went to private school and then chose to go to public school because I didn't like the private school experience; I didn't like that vibe.
I've never really loved mean comedy.
A lot of queer relationships on television and in films are met with extreme tragedy.
I have no patience for homophobia.
My mom asked me one day at lunch in a very lovely and respectful way. I was finally comfortable enough to say yes, I was gay, and it really was never talked about again.
I've read about actors trying to prevent their kids from getting into it, and I think that's from what they themselves experienced in the industry.
After getting the job at MTV, the challenge was, 'How do I start my career as a television host without people holding my dad's career over my head?' It's a very easy thing for people to look to my dad and say, 'Well, he got his job because of this.'
I have the utmost respect for red carpet interviewers; it is such a hard job.
Wise people, my parents.
What I loved about 'The Beverly Hillbillies' was that it was about family love and growth and understanding. The riches-to-rags premise is just the wallpaper.
I've grown up around some incredibly funny people, which has been a blessing and curse because now I've been completely spoiled in terms of what I find funny.
I never pictured L.A. as a hub for amazing food, which I learned quite quickly is sheer naivete. The restaurants here are insane.
I'm clueless when it comes to flowers.
I remember, before I started high school, I was really intrigued by the Buddy Holly/James Dean style of glasses. This was a long, long time before they were sold at every Urban Outfitters.
I always try, if I can, to travel before I start a writing project. For me, travelling is my education. It inspires me, and it clears my mind and allows me to come back with a cleansed palate.
You often forget, because you're so inside it, that television has power.
My parents have - my dad has managed to succeed at his craft. So, you know, it's not like I was struggling in my life.
As a Canadian, we are sort of inherently built with an unshakable humility that at times can work against you.
I know that in writer's rooms across North America, there are still conversations about how much is too much when it comes to intimacy between, in my case, two men. That's an insane conversation to be having.
So often, I think shows get into these grooves where they know the characters hit, and they just write for it over and over and over again.
Masculinity involves feminine qualities, and femininity involves masculine qualities.
I wasn't necessarily aware of what my dad did, but I was aware that wherever we'd go, there would be attention. I was never comfortable with it.
I think because there is the constant looming threat of nepotism and judgment, I really tried to separate what I was doing at MTV, my auditions, anything I was doing creatively, from my family.
My dad made a conscious choice to keep my family in Canada. I think he wanted us to have a pretty normal life and one that wasn't necessarily affected by the industry or all that comes with growing up in Hollywood.
I was such a bad red-carpet host.
In an age where overindulgence seems to be the norm, I can't help but look back and feel thankful that my parents chose to hold out on giving me everything that I wanted growing up.
I'll take a carb any day of the week, but if I'm being pressed, then I'm sort of into the standard bagel.
Entertainment seems to be the only arena where children who pursue the work of their parents, which is an inherently natural thing to do, is met with a lot of skepticism.
I love food, and I'm a foodie; I try to hit as many restaurants as I can.
The Canadian audience is very critical, particularly of their own content.
It's quite common for a television show to start off as one thing and end up as something completely different. There are so many cooks in the kitchen - the network, the studio.
I'd rather create something that gives people a very strong reaction than create a show that someone looks at and says, 'Hmm. Fine.'
I came from a theater background and always wanted to act.
There was a commonality in a lot of the private school experiences that I had of children whose lives were not their own. They thought they were their own, but they were essentially gifted this life by their parents. So they were spending money; they were going on trips - I guess, in a way, it is their life, but they didn't earn it.
The best TV that I watch, I always feel safe when I'm watching it. And that could be like 'Homeland' or 'The Americans'; by 'safety,' I mean the show knows its parameters.
I've never really learned anything when I feel like it's being forced down my throat.
I've been a lover of fashion my whole life.
Very few ideas are better than Catherine O'Hara's ideas when it comes to acting.
Gay relationships have historically not been treated the same as straight relationships.
I hated working red carpets, I hated the whole celebrity interview process. I just realized I'd rather be the person somebody wanted to ask questions to than the person asking the questions.
Comedy is not easy to begin with, but comedy that also dances with drama - it's so hard.
Does Catherine O'Hara deserve an Emmy? Absolutely.
