Chris O'Dowd Quotes

Some actors try to play parts and do things they can't do. Being funny is one of them. Being funny's hard.

I have a lot of respect for actors who do comedy. They do it naturally.

I always felt that I was more of an actress than a - I can't tell a joke to save my soul, but that I was a comedic actress.

I've always wanted to do a real comedy. I haven't done enough, and it seems silly not to do more, considering the fact that people tend to laugh at me.

I'd love to do acting, but it'd definitely have to be comedy. I can't do serious. It's completely beyond me.

I never saw myself as a comedian. I saw myself as a guy who can act funny.

I would be an idiot to say comedy is easy, but it does come naturally. It never feels forced.

I really fancied myself a comedic actress.

If you are a great dramatic actor then you often don't know if people are enjoying your stuff at all because they are sitting there in silence. But with comedy it's a simple premise. If it's funny, people laugh. If it's not, they don't.

I love comedy. That's what got me into the arts. I don't even know how to categorize myself anymore.

There are some actresses that can't do comedy; it's too heavy-handed.

Thing is, I'm a funny actor, but I'm not good at being funny. I'm going to ramble for a second: I'm an actor who can make things funny in the moment, like in stakes or in circumstances or out of character.

Comic timing... is how to have a relationship with the camera and deal with the camera without looking like you are.

I enjoy comedic things. People don't understand it's the hardest thing to do. We have a ratio of 25-to-1 between good dramatic actors and people who are considered good comic actors.

Making people laugh is magic. I feel like if you have humility, then you can do anything in comedy.

I think with comedy I get very sort of critical of myself and try and do the best I can and it doesn't come as second nature. I work at those kinds of films. It doesn't mean I can't do them - I've done two now, and I have a great time doing them, but I just find myself a little bit more neurotic.

The number one rule of comedy acting is 'don't try to be funny.' Act as seriously as possible.

I think if actors don't think of themselves as funny in real life they think they can't do comedy.

Rhythm and timing are so important in comedic acting.

My preference is for people who can do sketch comedy or situational comedy, where it's not a joke, but it's telling a story.

I'm always blown away by stand-ups. I'm blown away by people like that who are craftspeople at comedy.

I'm glad to see on a first-hand basis how both Andre Braugher and Andy Samberg work. They're both pretty esteemed in both of their fields, respectively - comedy-slash-dramatic acting work.

I play a guy who is 40. And I am a very good actor, because I'm 41.

Comedy is actually very hard. It's hard to choose those moments and know when you can really push it, and know when you should be bringing it back and making it more subtle, and knowing as time goes on, as you do take after take and the crowd around you stops laughing. Whenever you do comedy, you realize you're up against - you're performing next to people who you would think are so unbelievably good at it, that that's a bit of a pressure. But at the same time, it's just fun. It's fun to be able to let out that side of you.

I think it's that much harder to make a good comedy than it is straight and apparently serious.