James Wolcott Quotes

I loved Peter Sellers. I thought he was the perfect mix of physical comedy with out-of-the-box humor. I loved his tone; I loved his physicality; I loved everything about what he was doing as a comedic actor.

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.

Something about not waiting for the laugh of a laugh track allows you to take lines that otherwise might be seen as just direct jokes, and make them seem realistic.

As far as sitcoms go, I thought Jenna Elfman in 'Dharma and Greg' was a wonderful physical comedienne who had great timing.

Comedy is difficult, especially slapstick. The trick is to have fun while you are performing it.

Sight gags had to be planned; they required timing and mechanics. Occasionally, spontaneity would arise in the shooting of the scenes.

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

My brand of humor is trying to play the situation as real as possible because I'm not the type of guy who is a joke a minute.

A comedian's body is funny as well as his mind being funny, his whole personage is funny.

You learn what can become a good joke and can be repeatable. You have a shorthand about how to introduce a joke to someone.

The jokes are great but what really matters for a comedian is his performance, his whole attitude, and the laughs that he gets between the jokes rather than on top of the jokes.

When I first started doing comedy years ago, I used to be the biggest Michael Richards fan. I used to love this dude. He was on a TV show called 'Fridays,' and man, he was tall and lanky - and I was tall and lanky. I love physical comedy, and he was a physical comedian, and I said, 'Man, I love this guy.'

I have to say I enjoy physical comedy and I've always loved to kind of take risks. I don't like worrying too much about how I look or how I come across, so that can sometimes... You know, I like to play those kinds of deluded but fun characters.

I enjoy doing physical comedy.

As a child, I was a clown. I didn't hesitate to make a fool of myself and I would love to completely take on wacky characters.

Historically, Hollywood comedy has arrived in skinny envelopes. From fence post Buster Keaton to herky-jerky Jerry Lewis to wiry nerve-bundle Woody Allen to hung-loose Richard Pryor to whippy contortionist Jim Carrey, its comics and clowns have tended to be sliced thin and bendable.

I'm a big fan of American vaudeville and Hollywood silent film-era slapstick and the music halls full of ridiculous, eccentric characters.

I can never tell a joke, I've always found it easier to just fall over.

All comedians have to use their physicality, so I use my size.

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

I know I was influenced by Beatrice Lillie. I must have been.

I love a good Steve Martin, Martin Short scene where they're being super physical - I don't mean to compare myself - but I relate to their type of comedy because they do crazy stuff but come at it in an honest way.

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.

I think the physical comedy in action sequences is fantastic. Like, '21 Jump Street' did a great job with that.

I always loved comedy growing up - Bob Hope, Red Skelton and Danny Kaye.