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“
FOR ME
,
there are two things in life that
give me the most meaning — family and
work,” Tina Fey during an interview for
her last movie,
Admission
,
at the Waldorf
Astoria hotel in New York. “That’s all there
is, you know.”
Like most comedians, Tina is not a
joke-a-minute individual in person. Yes, she
dished quips every now and then during
the interview, but Tina did have a bemused
look. That’s where her humor comes
from — paying attention to the world
around her, as she herself said. Tina’s
comic observations are evident in her
performances, scripts and even her
book,
Bossypants
.
How do you nurture
comedy?
I try to stay around funny people and
pay attention to the world around me
because that’s where it comes from.
Who are the funny
people in your life?
The funny people in my life are my
husband Jeff Richmond, (
30
Rock
co-star) Jack McBrayer, (producer)
Robert Carlock and (writer/producer)
Kay Cannon — people who are my
friends in real life and friends from
home.
There , s a great
chapter in your book
about your dad
(
Donald Fey). What
did you learn from
him?
Work ethic, and that it’s important
to do the right thing, to finish
what you start and a lot of that
kind of thing. He was in the army — a very
smart, dignified man. He’s kind of funny,
but he’s probably the least funny person in
my family.
How were you as a
student?
I had pretty good grades. I was a very
responsible kid who tried hard. But
I remember going to those college
interviews. I just didn’t have the social skills
that some kids from private schools had.
My daughter goes to school in Manhattan.
From pre-school on, they are taught to
shake hands and look people in the eye.
No one taught us that until we were like
25 (
laughs
)
and to be like, “Hello, good
afternoon.” Grades are certainly not the
only indicator.
c h i k k a
i n t e r v i e w
PHOTOS
DAVID SLIJPER/SNAPPER MEDIA; GETTY IMAGES (THIS PAGE)
What do you learn from
your children?
I’m trying to learn from them that just to be
with them is enough, and not to be always
trying to show what a good mom I am. Not
try to overdo it.
You are going to be in
the next Muppets movie,
The Muppets…Again!
Did Miss Piggy have any
influence on you?
I was a big fan of
The Muppet Show.
Somebody once wrote a piece online
that was pretty accurate. I didn’t realize
it, but the writer compared
30
Rock
to
The Muppet Show
and actually, all the
characters line up pretty evenly. I could
probably get sued by the Muppets but in
the movie, I believe I play a Russian prison
matron. I fall in love with Kermit who has
been wrongly imprisoned.
How much of a fighter are
you when you really want
a role?
I have a very competitive nature but no,
I’ve never bribed anyone to get a role. That
probably wouldn’t work so well.
How seriously do you feel
about being a role
model for women?
I definitely meet a lot of young
women who say they want to be
writers or be in comedy. I do try
to be a good example for them.
If I have a job, I try not to screw
it up because that unfortunately
does reflect if one woman flakes
out and loses her job. It still reflects
on other women in the business in
a way.
Is a comedian born
that way, or can
anybody be funny
just by learning and
practising?
Some people are born with it. They
have a desire to want to relate to
people. They either want to please
people or take the pressure off
themselves. It’s a coping mechanism
to try to be funny. People have
that or they don’t. I used to teach
improvisation in Chicago, and you can
get better at it. But you can always see
when you have a class that there are
some people who are naturally suited
to comedy.
What was your lucky
moment?
I have had a lot of luck. A friend of mine
from Chicago was the head writer of
Saturday Night Live
,
so I was able to get
a writing submission to him. That was
probably the first piece of luck. I was also
lucky that at the time I was a writer on
Saturday Night Live
,
they were looking to
replace the “Weekend Update Anchors”.
I was lucky enough that Lorne Michaels
offered to let me screen-test. That was the
first bit of luck. Obviously, the other piece
of luck that I had in my career was that I
look like Sarah Palin. You could have never
guessed that something that lucky would
happen to me.
Tina and her daughter Alice
“
I do try to be
a good example
for women
who want to be
writers or
be in comedy.
If I have a job,
I try not to screw
it up”
