Nina Conti quotes

Having a puppet is a way of having opposing opinions - I say a thing; he says the other. (Nina Conti)
I could never be on stage on my own. But puppets can say things that humans can't say. View quote
Nina Conti
My puppets are far more liberated than I am. Ventriloquism is a useful way of expressing myself. View quote
Nina Conti
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. View quote
Nina Conti
I had a terrible dream when I was pregnant; I dreamt the baby had a ventriloquial mouth, but there was no hand hole; I had to flick the mouth down to get words out. View quote
Nina Conti
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. View quote
Nina Conti
I make napkins talk in restaurants, socks talk on car journeys. There is an awful lot of puppetry going on in the house. View quote
Nina Conti
My dad is a much more flamboyant character than I am. I think that's why I couldn't see myself going into straight acting. I always just felt daft. View quote
Nina Conti
I feel Scottish when with English people, and when I'm with Scottish people, I realise I'm English. View quote
Nina Conti
I thought people would think I only wanted to be an actor because my dad was, rather than because I had an innate calling. View quote
Nina Conti
I was really awful at auditions. There's something about sitting down and saying into the camera: 'I'm Nina and this is the name of my agent.' That makes me just die inside. (Nina Conti)
The character of the monkey just grew from something out of his face and my granddad's personality. They fused, and that's what I ended up with! The monkey belonged to a friend of mine, and I saw that it had such a little beguiling face and it grew from there. View quote
Nina Conti
So many actors are lively-minded, creative people who just tread water in this awful way, waiting for the phone to ring and doing their hair for auditions. It feels like a bit of a dreamer's life - as opposed to a sensible ventriloquist's life. View quote
Nina Conti
I like my squishy, red, high-heeled Vivienne Westwood jelly shoes. They make you seem like you're much more of a go-er. View quote
Nina Conti
With acting, I always felt like I didn't have control of it. It was all about other people giving me a job. View quote
Nina Conti
If I have a gig in the evening, I get 'the doom' at about 5 P.M., when I think I'm getting flu. View quote
Nina Conti
I've started running three or four times a week, which prompts millions of sketch ideas. View quote
Nina Conti
The way I talk to the puppets is real, and it's in the moment, and it's seeing what will happen. It's not something that is scripted. View quote
Nina Conti
I think acting is overrated. I'm not sure I enjoyed it. You never get to write your own roles. It's wonderful for some people, but I found it nerve-wracking. I was too busy worrying that no one would give me their words to speak. View quote
Nina Conti
I think I've got it pretty easy compared with somebody who works at a desk nine to five. I'm just working for an hour in the evening. I get a bit breathless, as I have to talk non-stop because of the puppets. View quote
Nina Conti
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)