I've always been a fan of physical comedy. It kind of hits you in a different way; it bypasses the intellect and hits you in the gut. Stephen Merchant More Quotes by Stephen Merchant More Quotes From Stephen Merchant People don't mind insulting the tall. We're supposed to be fine with being awkward and skinny. I'm very easy to psychoanalyse. I was a gangly, awkward teenager who could make people laugh and thought that was a way to be socially more comfortable. Stephen Merchant laugh mind people way I've jokingly said that everything I'm doing now is filling up the hours before I die, but I do feel that slightly. I have no religious beliefs so this is the ride. This is it. So I'm just like anyone, I suppose, trying to fill out the days in the most interesting way possible. Stephen Merchant ride die feel way I wish I could write 'Taxi Driver,' or 'Blue Velvet,' something brave, audacious, dramatic and dark. I don't know if I have the darkness in my own soul to be able to tap into it, unfortunately. Stephen Merchant soul darkness brave blue I'm looking for a woman with the body of Kelly Brook and the mind of Stephen Fry. Stephen Merchant woman looking body mind I used to be quite a big video game player at university and post-university in that weird moment in life before you have a proper job and you've got a lot of idle time. Stephen Merchant moment you time life When I started to mention to people who know about such things, 'I'm doing this game, 'Portal 2', they got very excited, suddenly. More excited than anything I've ever done before, weirdly. Gamers are incredibly enthusiastic about the stuff they love. Stephen Merchant game know love people My heroes - people like Woody Allen - were stand-up comedians. Therefore, I always felt I should give it a go. Stephen Merchant go like always people Once I began doing stand-up, I didn't get a kick out of the applause or being the centre of attention - but I did get a kick out of the jigsaw puzzle aspect of it, searching for the right bit, adding another few pieces each night until the bigger picture appears. That's the appeal: the challenge of it. Stephen Merchant challenge picture attention night Remember that film 'Sliding Doors,' when John Hannah woos Gwyneth Paltrow by reciting Monty Python sketches? I can tell you now that doesn't work, so that film's wrong. Stephen Merchant you work doors remember When we did 'The Office,' no one knew who we were, so it was easy to champion us; you could own us. Once you become successful, people don't have that any more, so it becomes more polarised. Some people want to champion you, and others want to slag you off. It doesn't concern me. Stephen Merchant me you champion people