I kind of see it as my personal therapy to get on stage and do characters.
— Lauren Lapkus
You have to go as hard as you possibly can, or it's going to be weak. Whenever I find myself not committing fully to a character, it's not as funny. It doesn't have that clear point of view, and you find yourself wandering all over the place, whereas committed characters make strong choices that are clear to the audience.
You can't really get as much done when you're worried about looking gross.
Society is really coming to a point where they're not asking if women can be funny anymore. We all know they obviously are.
It's like, if you tweet anything about One Direction, you'll get a lot of hate - immediately. They're just searching the words and then writing back to anybody who writes about them.
I feel like that would be pretty strange to meet a voice actor as a kid.
I think I was always a class clown growing up and a funny kid. I never really knew how to channel that until I got into high school.
I think that by doing the podcast, I've grown to actually enjoy hosting a little more and realize that my role is a bit of a host, even though I thought I was totally avoiding that by creating this construct. But hosting a late night show has never really been a goal of mine in particular, but it could be fun.
The secret to podcast success is sticking with it and making it fun for yourself.
The audition process for 'Are You There, Chelsea?' was overwhelming and exciting. It was my first pilot season and one of the first pilots I auditioned for.
I love watching 'The Real Housewives of New York.' That's my guilty pleasure. But I don't even feel guilty. I can just watch it, zone out, and forget about my problems.
I believe that each person can make a difference, but it's so slight that there's basically no point.
My improv definitely shows a different side of myself, which is more true to what my real humor is and what my real personality is, and I think - I guess 'wild' is a good word for it. I'm still sweet! But I won't let anyone walk all over me.
Most people have kind of done something that could put them in jail at least for one night.
Improv changed my life in the best way. I gained so much confidence and really learned how to use my sense of humor to do something other than make sarcastic comments to the TV, though that remains one of my best skills. I stayed in Chicago for college mainly to continue doing improv, which was an awesome decision for me.
I've done 70 different characters on my podcast. But in terms of characters that I revisit a lot, I think there are 10 that I know more in-depth.
A lot of my characters are born out of a small grain in a person that I heighten and take to that next level. They're not based on anyone I've ever met, but they are these extreme versions of something.
I was invited to do an all-female improv festival in Portland called All Jane, No Dick. The person running it asked me if I had a female improv team, and I just said yes and then figured out who I would want to bring with me. We had such a fun show together that we decided that we should keep doing it.
It's really fun to play a character that fights back and say what she means.
I'm a huge 'Bachelor' fan!
Doing 'Comedy Bang! Bang!,' you have to play at the top of your abilities, so it is so fun to get that opportunity. I've grown a lot as a performer just working with those guys.
I'm really thankful for my improv background.
The connective tissue between storytelling, advice, and comedy is passion.
Getting to be the 'weird roommate' on a sitcom was a dream come true.
I live for watching TV and partying with my book club.
I'm more of a tomboy - I fall into the jeans-and-a-T-shirt style, for sure - but I have a girlie side to me.
Doing improv really got me started in my whole career.
I often play characters on TV shows that are more sweet and naive and just kind of puppy-dog eyes, and I don't think I am like that as a person.
I love creating characters that are ridiculous and flawed. To me, the most important thing about comedy is the joy it can bring to the performers and the audience alike. I love making people laugh and not over-thinking things. Some of my favorite moments are when I am doing an improv scene with friends, and I can't stop laughing during it.
I did a number of local children's theater plays growing up, but in 5th grade, I had some good times on stage making people laugh as a troll in 'The Hobbit.' That solidified my dream to be on 'Saturday Night Live,' which was hugely influential for me growing up.
For me, what really excites me about my characters and what pushes their core is the kind of dark, sad side of life.
I definitely get inspired by people who are disgusting on some level.
I love watching people tell stories, because it's very vulnerable.
I had always done broader characters, but going to UCB and speaking to my own voice was important for auditioning for TV and film.
I would really like to create my own show. And I really wanna meet Oprah.
So many of my characters have really crazy physicalities, so it's really fun to be able to say, like, 'I'm an elf who's the size of a dollar bill!'
That's what's so great, I get to play any character in the world. And I think that's one of the things that makes doing 'Comedy Bang Bang' or other improv podcasts so fun, as well as my own, is that you can really explore a character deeply for a long period of time that is nothing like yourself.
The podcasts that keep my attention are those where I can feel the hosts and guests are enjoying themselves or are really passionate about the subject matter.
When I was growing up, I watched every sitcom imaginable.
I love the mall, and I love Howard Stern and Oprah.
I love L.A. and feel attached to this city, but I don't identify myself as being a part of it.
I had a teacher who recommended I take improv classes in Chicago - I'm from Evanston, Illinois - so I did improv classes at Improv Olympic, and that kind of opened me up.
Comedy is my first love; that's my main goal in life - to keep doing comedy.
Every so often, you have to do a show that makes you walk to your car with your head down, wondering what you're doing with your life. It's good for you, as long as you're not feeling that way every night.
I love improvising on the spot. I like that pressure.
