Betsy Brandt Quotes

When they came to you for your line, you had to be ready and you had to get it in one.

Sometimes I know a joke I'm going to yell out ahead of time, but most of the time it's stream of conscious. You never really know it until you've got everyone dressed up, the set is built, all the extras are here.

If you're saying the same line 10 times and making it look like you just came up with it, that's acting.

The really good stand up comedians can be angry but relatable, and they have interestingly humanizing personalities. Their observational skills are far greater than mine, so I'll just stick to reading lines off a page.

So much of a stand-up's life is doing live radio and having to be funny and quick on the spot with these strangers, and sort of surgical in terms of how funny I can be in three minutes.

I know there are some actors who are just brilliant at improvising and brilliant at just being in the moment and doing it there and then. I'm not one of those actors.

There's no real preparing at home for stand-up. You just go and you just do it.

It is really hard to do comedy; it takes a lot of energy and focus. It's rather like music: It's a lot of hitting notes precisely.

The key to Presidential debates is to rehearse those [dramatic] moments but don’t let them look scripted.

Comedy prepared me for drama. There are a couple techniques you can think of. One of my acting teachers said that comedy is like ping-pong, and drama is tennis. You take things a bit slower, so you do get to breathe more and take some more time.

I know what is funny coming out of my mouth and what is not funny coming out of my mouth. You have to figure out, What is the joke that I can do that nobody else can do?

I have a tough time with stand-up because I am an improviser. I can riff; I can do crowd work, so I don't prepare.

One thing that I struggled with was not corpsing when you're being thrown stuff that's absolutely hilarious by the other actors.

When did I become a fast-talking Jew? As time went on, my bits started to become longer, and that became part of the signature.

One joke coming from one person can land completely flat, while somebody else delivering it in a unique way can really elevate it.

One of the most difficult things I find as an actor is to laugh on cue. It is way harder than crying or other emotions. It's sometimes harder than yawning on cue.

I think, in a way, the stand-up prepped me for the improv, because I do a lot of riffing in my stand-up.

I'm not an actor that works in front of a mirror, who tries to repeat her actions or whatever.

I write and rewrite and memorize, and then inject my performance with improvising and spontaneity, because if something feels too rehearsed, it's not going to be fun.

I always try to improve my stand-up game, it's very important for me.

It is important for an actor to learn how to face a live audience.

I have this habit of not rehearsing a lot; I don't go on practicing my dialogues, pauses, and actions.

Comedy is all about rhythm and context, and there's all types of comedies, and it's about finding that right brand, that consistency in tone.

The hardest part of comedy is writing the jokes, and the second-hardest part is telling the jokes. To me, everything else is significantly easier.

We don't worry about continuity because when we're doing so many improvs, it's better to get the laugh. It's better to get the great lines even if they're in the wrong part of the room.