Quotes from Mary Lynn Rajskub

To really be on stage and not know what you're going to say, and to be able to say something that makes people laugh, or do something that's sort of abstract or off the beaten path and have people connect to it by just putting your ideas together, that really makes me happy.

'24' is not an anti-government show, really. We've always relied on Jack to fight for the greater good in his own way, and at times, '24' is very patriotic. For me personally, I definitely pay attention to things in a different way.

I always love performing live, and that's what I was doing that started getting me acting parts, so I still find time do it.

My stand-up has always been very character-based. I'm not really the kind of person that's like, 'Hey, here's what's on my mind! Tip your waitress!' I would create the jokes based on the character I was playing. It was always a performance-based thing for me.

I personally have a background of many days on end of confusion, understimulation, overstimulation, and uncomfortableness with the world around me.

See what a good actress I am? I'm just typing over and over, "You're a good person, Mary Lynn! Hang in there! You can do it!"

There is always the personal, simple happiness that doesn't happen.

I hadn't even watched '24' before, and the audition was kind of far away. When I got the material, there wasn't a character yet, so it almost seemed like an assistant to Jack Bauer saying, 'Yes, sir. No, sir.'

I had fun doing a lot of low-budget movies and web series. And I got back into stand-up where I started.

I read a fan bulletin board once, and somebody said I had a face like a potato, so I never went back on there.

When you go to auditions, pretend you already have the job and you're just presenting - almost like you're at the table read. Don't go in with an air of, 'Please like me,' or, 'Please hire me.' You're like, 'Here's my take on it. Take it or leave it. I've got a lot of other things to do today.'

I've been a weirdo since I was a kid.

I need to see where I am physically and practicing with NHL players is the best way to find that out.

The really cool challenge of '24' was learning on camera how to be a dramatic actress. The biggest difficulty was the industry side of things. I was very lucky that I had Joel Surnow, one of the creators of '24,' in my corner. Early on, the Fox executives couldn't believe that I was on the show.

I'm doing stand-up comedy. I'm working on a one-woman show about how I don't like my baby. There is a period of time where a baby is born where the next 3 months is harrowing. A lot of people say it's the most wonderful time, but for me it was harrowing.

I have to paint at least two times a week, and there's not enough time in the day to do everything.

I told my agents that I didn't want to go on the audition. But as that was happening I called my mom, who has been watching the show from the beginning, and my mom said, 'It's the coolest show. You have to go.'

I got into acting to avoid politics of any sort so I could remain in a fantasy world.

I like America. I think it's pretty cool. I got into acting to avoid politics of any sort so I could remain in a fantasy world.

'24' is a pretty serious show - there isn't a lot of improv that is happening. Having said that, I do play around with the delivery. A lot of the humor comes from playing a character who is very furious and really up in her own brain and in a serious situation. That is humorous to me.

The more I get to do this character, the more I realize that she's not just annoying. It's that her strength is not interacting with people socially. She just doesn't have time because she has so much going on in her brain.

I'm not married and I don't think that's going to work out for me. I'm not even bitter, I'm just exhausted.

I went to art school for fine art and then I started doing performance art, and then I started making fun of performance art, and it turned into comedy.

It always surprised me that I was getting acting work.