I think I'm funny because my family my siblings were funny.

The surprising thing is that I was not funny in high school. I was always jealous of the funny kids because they always got the girls. I couldn't tell a joke to save my life.

If you are a great dramatic actor then you often don't know if people are enjoying your stuff at all because they are sitting there in silence. But with comedy it's a simple premise. If it's funny people laugh. If it's not they don't.

I think a lot of humor is about distracting yourself. Pretend you're not trying to make it funny. Because for some reason the effort to be funny smells like sulphur in our culture.

I mean sometimes... a comedian becomes an actor and they just don't deliver because the bottom line of comedy is to be funny and the bottom line of acting is to be truthful and they get that mixed up sometimes or don't even notice that that's the thing.

It's funny how the music industry is enraged about the Internet and the way things are copied without being paid for. But you know why people steal the music? Because they can't afford the music.

I tend to head for what's amusing because a lot of things aren't happy. But usually you can find a funny side to practically anything.

Laurence Olivier said in an interview once that when he plays a tragedy he always aims for the funny parts and the other way around. Because in a comedy you look for what's serious. I think that's true. Sometimes things are really funny if you're absolutely earnest. If you're really serious it's hilarious.

It's funny: I'm a lifelong musician but because I principally play the piano it's been a solitary thing.

The reason why you know more funny dudes than funny chicks is that dudes are funnier than chicks. If my daughter has a mediocre sense of humor I'm just gonna tell her 'Be a staff writer for a sitcom. Because they'll have to hire you they can't really fire you and you don't have to produce that much. It'll be awesome.'

I'm not funny. People assume that because my books are funny I'll be funny in real life. It's the inevitable disappointment of meeting me.

The trick is always to write in pairs because if at least two people find it funny you've immediately halved the odds of it not being funny.

'Come out' is so funny to me because I've never been in.

And I like to keep whatever is mine remaining that way. It's a funny little game to play and it's a slippery slope. I always say to myself I'm never going to give anything away because there's never any point or benefit for me.

I had to act in a school play when I was about ten years old. I really didn't want to do it. But everyone had to do it so I didn't have a choice. A talent agent came and watched it and later gave me some work. It's funny because I'd always known that I wanted a movie career. I just didn't think that I would be in the movies.

Don't remember me as too nice or beautiful or funny because then you'll be disappointed.

Very often I don't make it through moments of recording because it is genuinely funny and absolutely ridiculous that a 60-year-old grown man is making these noises.