Garry Marshall Quotes

I'm a long-time fan of Rob Long, and his books are hugely re-readable, detailing the ins and outs of being a Hollywood comedy writer with a past success but with everything to prove.

I met Jon Lovett, who was just coming off of three years of being a presidential speech writer and had just arrived here to be a comedy writer in Hollywood. I thought he was super green, in terms of this world, but he knows so much about the world that we're attempting to write about.

I came to Hollywood originally writing comedy and writing satire.

I got written out of 'G.I. Joe' and was like, 'Welp, I'm going to go back to what I do: writing and producing comedy.'

It doesn't mean I'm not interested in Hollywood. I like the way it operates; I like the people who are involved and the sense of possibility. But if I ever get back in, it's not going to be as an actress.

Friends of mine were the creators and executive producers of 'Damages,' people I knew from graduate school.

I wanted to do screenwriting. That's what I went to school for, but my major was overfilled, and when I got 'The Daily Show', I was a semester away from officially starting my major, so I never started that in particular.

I was so fortunate to get the opportunity to be a writers' apprentice on A Different World. It was my favorite show. So to go from watching Dwayne and Whitley to writing for Dwayne and Whitley was incredible.

I was never ambitious. I just wanted to have quiet, calm, listen to public radio and say, hello, how are you? Sit down, rest. But I had an early partner named Fred Freeman, a wonderful writer who I met at Northwestern. And I thought we were doing very well with "Jack Paar," and he said, no, we got to go to Hollywood. We got to write sitcom. It's the coming thing.

Well, basically, when you get SNL, everyone wants to take a meeting, just in case you end up being good.

It takes a week to do a sitcom in Hollywood. I do a show a day in my studio, three or four shows a week.

Hollywood is a special place; a place filled with creative geniuses - actors, screenwriters, directors, sound engineers, computer graphics specialists, lighting experts and so on. Working together, great art happens. But in the end, all artists depend on diverse audiences who can enjoy, be inspired by and support their work.

I was going to move to New York after college and had no interest in pilot season. I'd seen what happened on TV shows because of my dad, and I didn't want to open myself up to that. But 'Pretty Little Liars' had a very early audition, and my agents encouraged me to go even though I didn't think it would be my thing.

On 'State of Affairs,' we're going after some names that you wouldn't think would traditionally do TV. A show that shoots in Los Angeles is such a rare bird in hand that I think we're gonna have the pick of the litter.

My professional life in Hollywood has been filled with joy and laughter.

Working on the Dave Chappelle show was amazing.

I write 'Broad City,' so I connect it to me.

'Entourage' is a very, very, very unique acting experience. I could go in to win 1000 Academy Awards, and it would never be as much fun as the show.

Presenting the Oscars was the most nerve-racking job I have ever done in show business. It's very much a live show: they have comedy writers waiting in the wings, and as you come off between presentations, they hand you an appropriate gag to tell.

In show business, you had levels. I was at the top of the TV end of it.

I don't want to get pretentious, but there's an art to doing sitcoms; you have to make it work in that format.

I'd love to do situation comedy - it's the best job in show business.

Seeing the energy of 'SNL' made me want to be a part of it. If that was a job, I thought, that was the job I wanted. That was my plan. Comedy.

My showbiz career started with 'SNL,' and to write an 'SNL' book... well, there are already enough of those.

I'd been working with Chuck Lorre since the dawn of time, starting with 'Dharma and Greg,' so when I get a call about a really cool opportunity to work with him, I say yes, even before I know what it is.