It’s a cliche to say this now, but to me, ‘The Sopranos’ is like Dickens. It’s able to take this very focused look at something but make it epic and profound. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
I suffered when I was in my late twenties and early thirties. I was awkward, I stuck out, I was nerdy. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
I know that this sounds grand, but I don’t try to compete with other people. I like to think there’s enough pie for everyone. The kind of people I’m competing with are my heroes – Woody Allen, Billy Wilder – who I know I’m going to fall short of. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
It never really occurs to me that I’m doing cringe comedy. It’s something that people tell me afterwards, and I say, ‘Again? Really? I never set out with that intention.’ Stephen Merchant Read Quote
People think all fame is the same, but being on BBC Two from time to time does not make you Warren Beatty. I honestly can’t impress that upon people enough. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
People don’t mind insulting the tall. We’re supposed to be fine with being awkward and skinny. I’m very easy to psychoanalyse. I was a gangly, awkward teenager who could make people laugh and thought that was a way to be socially more comfortable. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
I used to be quite a big video game player at university and post-university in that weird moment in life before you have a proper job and you’ve got a lot of idle time. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
My heroes – people like Woody Allen – were stand-up comedians. Therefore, I always felt I should give it a go. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
Once I began doing stand-up, I didn’t get a kick out of the applause or being the centre of attention – but I did get a kick out of the jigsaw puzzle aspect of it, searching for the right bit, adding another few pieces each night until the bigger picture appears. That’s the appeal: the challenge of it. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
I don’t have any hidden depths; I’m a very superficial person. It’s a constant frustration to me. Stephen Merchant Read Quote
