Creating Characters // Reconcile the Aisle

People ask me a lot: how do you create characters.

Er. That’s hard to say, because that changes every time I make one.

For example, when I worked on a character named Judy, I had a hard time getting her voice. She’s a former lesbian feminist whose hey-day was the late 70s, so I read books about that time and watched videos. Then I came up with a back story. The voice simply wasn’t coming and then one day when I was sitting in my studio working on a sketch, I stood up and her voice came searing out. Voila, Judy!

That took months. Recently, I watched three minutes of a Lauren Boebert speech and I threw up a random wig and glasses in my prop closet and arrivé, Lauren.

I wish every character would take me 85 seconds to create. Alas, that’s not how it works. Even more frustrating is that I don’t know how long it’s going to take until I try to bring them to life.

Since this process is so enigmatic, I speak to other creators about this on my podcast Reconcile the Aisle. If you want to learn more below are two interviews you should check out.

Maria Decotis (Comedy Central, HBO) and I speak about being Italian American and particularly her Andrew Cuomo impression and how she finds characters to portray. Also, you’ll hear my Hannah Gadsby story.

Michael Hartney (School of Rock, Squirrel Theater) and I creating characters and how he curates comedy in his work with Upright Citizens Brigade and the new Squirrel Theater.