Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

by Molly Shannon

If you ever feel stuck, just go into a completely different atmosphere with different kinds of people and see how stimulating it is. There’s nothing better.

Maybe you’re not right for this part but they’ll remember you later for something else. You never know. Just think, Hey, I get to meet this person. Look at it as laying down your groundwork.

I’ve seen people who are superstar movie stars who still feel like they are only as good as their last movie, and they are full of fear and insecurity. And I think, Wait a minute, you are scared? Well, in that case, I better just enjoy where I am, because if you’re scared, then we are all fucked.

I don’t like it when performers act like they are making fun of their characters. I believe that even with comedy you should still play the emotional truth of what your character wants, and who they are, because it anchors the comedy and gives it an emotional depth that makes the comedy stronger, richer. I treat the comedy the same way I would treat a serious dramatic performance.

figured if you are a woman who knows how to write, that’s better, because then you aren’t just waiting to fit into something that somebody else wrote that might not even be right for you. Better to just do your own material.

It’s good to be responsible, but there’s no point in being so stressed that you can’t adjust or bend the rules a little when necessary. Particularly when dealing with your kids. I’d rather send them to school happy and relaxed than send them to school when they aren’t quite ready.