Amy Hoggart Quotes

Whenever I walk out on a stage, I'm begging for affection.

It's quite pretentious, really, isn't it? The notion the audience is going to be interested in you for an hour and a half. Think too much about that and anxiety takes over.

There are several times when I walked into a room and just felt like such a sham. That's the problem with auditioning.

It wasn't so much that I was all alone on stage, but it was the realization of how much you need the response-you need the audience to tell you where to go.

You hear some people saying, 'I'm alive on stage; it's where I feel most complete...' I don't understand that at all; I find that weird and depressing. I don't dislike the audience; it's just when I'm up there, they're in the darkness. There's just a sound of laughing or not. They're not 'people,' they're this big organism.

When I was younger, I was almost too afraid to admit that I wanted to be an actor.

I don't think one should be comfortable standing on a stage with people applauding and laughing at every stupid thing you say.

Pretty much every time I try something different or do something in front of a live audience, I truly think they might throw peanuts at me.

I think I'm actually much too shy to do any performance art. I admire the big swings those guys take, but I'm not a one-man band.

I prefer it when I can intimidate the audience rather than the audience intimidate me. I've been lucky in my career to have both.

We're so insecure, comedians. 'Did you laugh? Do you think I was funny?'

I'm not the kind of person who ever thought, 'Oh, a one-woman show - bring it on!'

I'd rather go on stage and talk or do public speaking than sing. Singing is very scary. It's very exposing.

Half the time, when I first run onstage, I can't look directly at the audience just because of self-consciousness. It's human nature. Sometimes you feel like the man, and sometimes you don't. But sometimes that self-conscious energy is good for the show, it draws people in more.

The coward is an object to be pitied.

Comedy is frightening at first because you're opening yourself up. When it's just you and people hate it, you're like, "Oh God. Do they hate me?"

The thing that helped me come to terms with performing was an anxiety, a desperation for acceptance. There was never enough positive motivation in my life.

It probably says something really clinically terrible about my character that I need to get up on a stage and go 'Ra ra ra' in front of people.

Before I go on stage I pretend that everyone loves me.

Actors are frightened little children.

I think a lot of singers are shy people. I suppose singing on stage is not like talking; you are not as exposed.

But I'm guessing every actor is insecure.

Sometimes I find myself in this super-raw place onstage where I'm like, 'Maybe that's not the best thing. Maybe I need to shut down a little.'

I kind of keep my personality in my pocket a lot. When I start to do stand-up, that's not my true personality either. It's the personality of a guy who hasn't been able to say what he wanted to say.

There is always a mix of apprehension and excitement before you try songs out on a new audience.