Paul Merton Quotes

It's about timing and rhythm. But who could be better than Chaplin or Keaton?

I don't know how to be like a Bill Murray or a Will Ferrell, these guys who know how to make a line funny just by, I don't know, some extra-sense perception. I only know character and emotion and real acting; that's all I know how to do.

Well, I think my stand-up is often kind of visual. Not like Carrot Top visual, but visual.

I was always a big fan of Charlie Chaplin movies. I love 'The Great Dictator' and 'City Lights.'

Comedy isn't necessarily all dialogue. Think of Buster Keaton: the poker face and all this chaos going on all around him. Sometimes it's a question of timing, of the proper rhythm.

I watched every single Charlie Chaplin film.

I think most of my heroes are not the traditional types. A guy I was fascinated with was Buster Keaton. I just love what he did. I love that mug.

Working with Lucille Ball was just a master class in how to do comedy.

To play the leading man in a 'Three Stooges' movie, you've got to think funny. Thank God I think funny.

I do not have a good control of running sight gags. I laugh like hell when I see them, but I don't know how to invent those jokes.

It was very amusing to do 'GI Joe: Retaliation' scenes with Bruce Willis, who spends months rewriting his dialogue and then turns up and doesn't say it. Part of the time, he doesn't say anything, but mumbles and mutters.

Most people think that action movies are difficult and comedies are easy, but it's actually the opposite. Comedy can be a lot of hard work too.

I have done 'Gutar-Gu,' which was a silent comedy show.

I've studied Charlie Chaplin for years. I've studied Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, all of them. I don't play around. This is not a game.

A good comedian has to be a fine actor all around.

People like Bill Murray are incredible at what they do and are definitely my flavour. Although Will Ferrell, Sacha Baron Cohen and Ricky Gervais are also incredible actors. In their comedy, they make these stupid people feel so real. These guys are really setting the bar very high, and I learn as much from them about acting as I do about comedy.

Comedy is one of the hardest genres. You can tell if it's working or not. If the director is convinced of the vision, you have to have faith in that.

I have always had huge respect for comedians/comediennes. It's because comedy is very hard to portray.

Comedy is very difficult. You've got to have a perfect sense of timing.

I start with the joke line and write backward.

Comedy is one of the toughest genres. It is so essential to get the timing right, failing which the humour can fall flat.

To do a film with Govinda, who is a legend in that genre, whose timing is impeccable was challenging.

Comedy is easy. You have to react to what others are saying and it is all about the timing, the dialogue delivery.

I am genuinely interested in comedy and I know that I have good comic timing as well.

I'm not a big 'scripted comedy' person necessarily. I'm open for wherever comedy can be found.