Ana Gasteyer Quotes

I've never been good at improvising.

I'm used to being in front of camera and knowing what to think. But if you're asking me to be me, I get very self-conscious. My job isn't to be me. Being an actor, people think you can do a eulogy at a funeral, a speech at a wedding. I find all that very nerve-racking.

For me anyway, until I was exposed to doing improvisation and walking onto a stage without any script, I would have never felt comfortable enough to walk into a room with someone like Larry David and audition.

To be honest, I don't know really what I do on stage.

I don't think I'm sharp enough to not prepare and come on set and kill it.

Nick can get up on stage and just wing it, whereas I would have to be taken to a mental institution.

I never went on auditions because I would be terrible at it, so I just did stand-up.

I think the good ones, the interviews and the promos people remember, those are improv.

I never prepare. I think that's completely overrated. It's a very simple job. All you have to do is hit this bright mark, stand in the right spot and say the line. So I don't really believe in preparation.

I feel confident writing on my feet with improv, but it's different when you're sitting down and writing it out.

I don't like improv at all. It terrifies me. I like to know exactly what I'm going to say. Being surprised does make me a better actor. Anytime I'm afraid of something that makes me rise to the occasion, it scares me, but it's what makes great actors - being in the moment.

I'm the sort of actor who doesn't really prep a lot - I don't do a lot of research for parts. I just go for it, and I usually pull through.

I was never that good on stage with live improv. I was much better on film or writing something and then thinking about it. I was too in my head when I was on stage.

The more you perform and get out there, I guess the more practice you have at it and the better you are and the more comfortable you are on stage.

I become a better actor after I step on a stage in front of, like, 500 people when it's just me, a microphone and my guitar. You don't get as nervous walking into a room in front of 3 or 4 people and to do a scene or to walk on a set. You gain confidence.

I never thought I'd go on a show like 'The X Factor,' simply because I didn't have enough confidence to do something like standing on a stage to have opinions thrown at me.

Most of my act is improvisation. I'm inspired for the moment. Standing there in front of 2,000 or 3,000 people you don't know can be pretty inspiring.

I'm terrible at speaking extemporaneously about my work - I get completely tongue-tied and consumed with fear.

I'm comfortable in front of the camera, but I can't act.

I'm very wary with impressions - I don't think I'm very good at impressions, I hate doing them.

I never went to acting school, so improv was my training. Just being quick on your feet helps in everyday life.

I take improv classes. Improv is something I can use in any aspect of life.

I remember thinking, 'I can't act.' Pretending to be someone else is a terrifying thought. The thing was that, along with other people, I could create a whole world. I felt absolutely right directing.

Taking improv has helped every other aspect of my field.

Improv classes were too expensive, so I just started going to open mics. And the day I did it, I did, like, three because I just loved it so much. It was so much fun. And it wasn't good, it was just fun to do. It felt like a release.