My puppets are far more liberated than I am. Ventriloquism is a useful way of expressing myself. Nina Conti Read Quote
Acting is seductive. It looks so much fun. I did dally with other things. I did pupillage in a law firm, but I didn’t like the look of how many files the lawyer I was working with had to take home every night. It looked like a hideous amount of work, when actors were having nice lunches and discussing books. Nina Conti Read Quote
If I have a gig in the evening, I get ‘the doom’ at about 5 P.M., when I think I’m getting flu. Nina Conti Read Quote
I do laugh when I hear myself saying, ‘I am a ventriloquist.’ I am definitely suited to it, though. I took it and ran with it quite hungrily. It is not for everyone, but it is just the chance to write for a character. Nina Conti Read Quote
I will remember the night I won the New Comedy Awards, as I was young and unformed, so that sticks in the mind. I’ve also done a fantastic gig at the Royal Albert Hall, which was amazing. Appearing in the Christopher Guest film was also a real highlight, even if I was only in it for a couple of minutes. Nina Conti Read Quote
I thought people would think I only wanted to be an actor because my dad was, rather than because I had an innate calling. Nina Conti Read Quote
Having a puppet is a way of having opposing opinions – I say a thing; he says the other. Nina Conti Read Quote
I looked into studying psychoanalysis, wrote to the governing body and was about to start the year where they psychoanalyse you, four times a week, before you get to do it yourself. I just thought I’d taken the ventriloquism as far as I could. My act is so deconstructive, and I’d made all the monkey jokes anyone wanted to hear. Nina Conti Read Quote
Because I’m around comedians all the time, in my downtime I tend not to watch comedy. Something the whole family enjoys is ‘You’ve Been Framed!’ It satisfies all of us. It’s universal, and we all laugh a lot. Nina Conti Read Quote
Once I’m on stage, there’s just no time for a sip of water – I’ve always got my hands in puppets! My voice is raw by the time I finish. Nina Conti Read Quote
