Ellie Kemper

I look forward to physical activity; it's a release from stress and a nice distraction. It puts me in a better mood. I never used to take classes before, but then I tore my plantar fascia so I couldn't run. I started taking SoulCycle classes, which I know are polarizing. People have strong opinions. Even though I can run again, I still go. ”

I've never had prejudice against me because of being a woman in comedy, I've never felt any sort of unfairness because of that - but I do think it is naive to think that it doesn't exist. ”

There are some extremely acceptable male comedians out there: Joel Osteen, Abraham Lincoln, the man who played Phil Spector in HBO's 'Phil Spector.' But even those guys, while insightful and amusing, aren't exactly funny. ”

Yes, some women are funny. No, some women aren't funny. It's similar to how some women are tall and, you know, some women are short. ”

I joined an improv comedy group. Ours was named 'Quick Fire!' with an exclamation point. It was when I auditioned for that team and got on it and felt like... I'll just say I felt like I was good at it. ”

It's interesting because with a lot of people who I've met in comedy, it seems not to matter what your background is. In terms of formal schooling - I feel like that's a nineteenth century term - but in terms of where you went to high school or college, or wherever, all that really is irrelevant, I have found, in comedy. ”

I wrote comedy sketches in college. ”

If you're tired, you shouldn't make yourself exercise. Take a nap instead. It's about getting an appropriate amount of work and rest. I get very crabby if I'm not well-rested. ”

I'm a little disappointed in myself because before getting pregnant, I resolved to do all these things during my pregnancy to nurse a healthy pregnancy. And so I'm finding in these final weeks that I didn't do any of them. ”

I think I get certain pleasure from writing what I'm performing. ”