Top 97 Quotes & Sayings by Fred Willard
Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American comedian Fred Willard.
Last updated on November 21, 2024.
Bob Balaban is so perfect that the first movie I did with him, I couldn't talk to him because I was so intimidated by him.
It scared me to death to think about improv, but I got hired for a year at Second City in Chicago, which made me nervous, but I found I could improvise. Then I was in a group called the Ace Trucking Company, which we'd do, like, a half hour set of material, then open up for improvisation.
Someone I've always admired is Catherine O'Hara... I think she's one of the best actresses in the country, not only comedy. I just think she's just a step aside from everybody, she's just wonderful.
If I have to play an obnoxious character, try to find a redeeming feature of him. The most obnoxious people in the world were people, and they had had a reason for doing what they did. So you try to find that and let the obnoxiousness come out.
I guess it's from going to Virginia Military Institute. I'm a good person to follow orders.
People still quote my lines from 'Best in Show.'
If you're a cheerleader, people see you. If you're a mascot, you're just helping out.
It's such a pleasure to work in these movies, it's almost like it's not really happening.
I've been in a lot of shows, I will say that. Every once in a while, I'll look at a tape of something I've done, and I won't even remember having done it.
I just look back, and I say, you know, Christopher Guest just raised my whole career to another level.
I first became interested in 'great moments' when I read about the famous Feller-to-Boudreau pickoff play in the 1948 World series.
It's more fun in a way to do ensemble scenes, where you know your background, you know the scene, but you can't prepare because someone else is going to say something that is going to lead you off.
I think if you have a funny thought, and you want to get off a funny point, try to do it as realistically as you can. If you try to act it funny and accent the funny points, or do it in a funny style, you kind of lose it.
One of the great things about kids is they haven't heard a lot of the old jokes. You can get away with the corny ones.
Getting those parts in the Christopher Guest movies was the second biggest helper to my career after 'Fernwood.'
I've found over the years that for some reason, people either are big fans and have to use me, or they don't quite understand what I'm doing.
I love sketch; it's my favorite form. But if it's all improv, they're either very good, and it's annoying how good they are, and it makes you feel bad, or they're not too good; then you're sweating for them.
I had just done a movie called 'How to Beat the High Cost of Living,' and it didn't get a good review. And the same people sent me the script for 'Airplane!' for the Robert Hays part. I read it, and there were a lot of plays on words, and I said, 'I don't like this kind of comedy.'
Everybody I run into goes, 'Hey, 'Best in Show!'' Or, 'Hey, that dog movie!' which I don't mind because I'm not too good on titles.
Cleveland is my hometown, and the Indians have a narrow but rich history.
I guess if you're a professional mascot, you're doing it for the money, but a college mascot just wants to be out there.
Martin Landau in 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' - he gave me chills.
Suddenly you're like a pirate, you're 65 years old and you've got an earring.
I never got any advice in acting.
I think my wife saw a picture of the rock group Journey, and they're kind of aging, and the one guy had dyed blonde hair with black roots, and... my idea was to get a little earring, I wanted to have a dangling earring.
I don't know why my lines that were cut from the film didn't make it onto the DVD. I have offered to go into the editing room with Christopher and work shoulder to shoulder with him to fit all my lines in. I think he thinks I'm kidding. I'm only trying to help.
When you think about accountants, who would want to be an accountant? But, what would we do without accountants? Whether it's soldiers or garbage men or doctors, everyone has the thing that they love.
I did a show called 'Lois & Clark' - it was about Superman - years ago. They wanted someone to play the president of the United States. The plot was the president got kidnapped by a group, and they made a clone of him, who was very irresponsible and silly.
I never think I'm old enough to play someone's dad, even though I have a daughter of my own and a grandson.
In most cities, it doesn't cost much to put your own show on a local access channel, so you get all sorts of strange stuff on the air.
God bless Chris Guest... and I mean it sincerely.
There's different kinds of improv. There's Second City improv where you try to slowly build a nice sketch. There's stuff you do in college coffee houses where you just go joke, joke, joke. Bring another funny character with a funny hat on his head. Christopher Guest is more the line of trying to get a story out.
I'll go in a minute to see a sketch show.
That's always a funny thing, when people think they're known for every little thing they ever did, and they're really not.
The 'Tim And Eric' experience was very strange.
As an actor, and as you get to a certain level... and it's pilot season and you read the trades, you could have a nervous breakdown. 'So-and-so's signed for a pilot. Why aren't I?'
All America is familiar with the Yankee-Dodger-Giant trivia, but so many other teams had great moments.
I still think 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' was what they call one of those watershed movies. That and 'The Exorcist' and 'Psycho' were just landmarks for those horror films.
I loved Bob Hope and the way he would turn to the camera and break the fourth wall.
One of the first shows I ever did was 'Laverne & Shirley.' I played this sleazy guy that came into town with a friend and was going to date Laverne and Shirley, but we really wanted to get into the bowling alley because it was next to the bank we wanted to rob.
I love to draw, although I wish I was better at it.
How can we say any one actor's work was better than another's?
I have great respect for the authorities.
There's this whole underground world of amateur television production.
I like to play the guy that has no self-awareness.
When we need a policeman, God bless 'em, they're there. But, if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, everything seems suspicious.
Tobe Hooper - he did my favorite horror movie, 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre.' It's still one of my favorite horror films.
It's not a bad typecast: the goofy guy.
Comedy always came easier for me. But I would have loved to have been an action hero.
I once was in a project. They were going to do a remake. Somebody started a rumor I wanted more money. I said, 'This is ridiculous. I'd kill for this project!'
If you're going to take a risk as a comic, make sure it's surrounded by other things that you're certain are funny.
Some of the Christopher Guest movies, when I'm not really like myself, when I have my hair dyed blonde or had a faux-hawk haircut. Those I like to watch because it takes you away from your real self.
Let me say this: I have said, any time, if it's Martin Mull, I will say yes. If it's Christopher Guest, I will say yes.
Christopher Guest, he'll call and say, 'We're doing this movie, and I'd like you to play _' and he gives you the character, then I always like to enlarge on the character.
Comedy relieves you. A lot of times, we think we're the only people bothered by certain things. Then you hear a comic say, 'Don't you hate it when...' And it's, 'Oh, my God! Of course!'
I saw the 'Wizard of Oz' recently and realized that, all my life, I thought they were real monkeys with wings. That's how scary that movie was for me.
I just admire everybody and sit in awe and watch them.
A great director is someone who makes you feel like you're moving forward.
My first improv was Second City in Chicago. Before that, I worked at - with a partner, doing comedy sketches.
When I started, there was a phase where I wanted to be a cowboy star. I didn't want to do deep, serious parts.
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