I feel Scottish when with English people, and when I'm with Scottish people, I realise I'm English. Nina Conti More Quotes by Nina Conti More Quotes From 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. Nina Conti jobs giving people 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. Nina Conti dream baby hands 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 writing character laughing 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 sitting-down cameras names I could never be on stage on my own. But puppets can say things that humans can't say. Nina Conti puppets stage humans 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. Nina Conti body taken years I thought people would think I only wanted to be an actor because my dad was, rather than because I had an innate calling. Nina Conti dad people thinking If I have a gig in the evening, I get 'the doom' at about 5 P.M., when I think I'm getting flu. Nina Conti gigs flu thinking I've started running three or four times a week, which prompts millions of sketch ideas. Nina Conti three running ideas I like my squishy, red, high-heeled Vivienne Westwood jelly shoes. They make you seem like you're much more of a go-er. Nina Conti jelly shoes red 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. Nina Conti puppets nine thinking 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. Nina Conti comedian laughing watches Having a puppet is a way of having opposing opinions - I say a thing; he says the other. Nina Conti puppets opinion way 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. Nina Conti puppets real way 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. Nina Conti worry writing thinking 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. Nina Conti dad character thinking I make napkins talk in restaurants, socks talk on car journeys. There is an awful lot of puppetry going on in the house. Nina Conti car journey house Once I'm on stage, there's just no time for a sip of water - I've always got my hands in puppets! My voice is raw by the time I finish. Nina Conti voice time water hands Acting is seductive. It looks so much fun. I did dally with other things. I did pupillage in a law firm, but I didn't like the look of how many files the lawyer I was working with had to take home every night. It looked like a hideous amount of work, when actors were having nice lunches and discussing books. Nina Conti lawyer work home night My puppets are far more liberated than I am. Ventriloquism is a useful way of expressing myself. Nina Conti i-am more myself way
