Quotes from Lauren Lapkus

I love L.A. and feel attached to this city, but I don't identify myself as being a part of it.

Doing improv really got me started in my whole career.

It's like, if you tweet anything about One Direction, you'll get a lot of hate - immediately. They're just searching the words and then writing back to anybody who writes about them.

I did a number of local children's theater plays growing up, but in 5th grade, I had some good times on stage making people laugh as a troll in 'The Hobbit.' That solidified my dream to be on 'Saturday Night Live,' which was hugely influential for me growing up.

I definitely get inspired by people who are disgusting on some level.

So many of my characters have really crazy physicalities, so it's really fun to be able to say, like, 'I'm an elf who's the size of a dollar bill!'

Most people have kind of done something that could put them in jail at least for one night.

I believe that each person can make a difference, but it's so slight that there's basically no point.

I love watching 'The Real Housewives of New York.' That's my guilty pleasure. But I don't even feel guilty. I can just watch it, zone out, and forget about my problems.

Improv changed my life in the best way. I gained so much confidence and really learned how to use my sense of humor to do something other than make sarcastic comments to the TV, though that remains one of my best skills. I stayed in Chicago for college mainly to continue doing improv, which was an awesome decision for me.

I often play characters on TV shows that are more sweet and naive and just kind of puppy-dog eyes, and I don't think I am like that as a person.

I love improvising on the spot. I like that pressure.

I love the mall, and I love Howard Stern and Oprah.

I feel like that would be pretty strange to meet a voice actor as a kid.

That's what's so great, I get to play any character in the world. And I think that's one of the things that makes doing 'Comedy Bang Bang' or other improv podcasts so fun, as well as my own, is that you can really explore a character deeply for a long period of time that is nothing like yourself.

I had a teacher who recommended I take improv classes in Chicago - I'm from Evanston, Illinois - so I did improv classes at Improv Olympic, and that kind of opened me up.

The podcasts that keep my attention are those where I can feel the hosts and guests are enjoying themselves or are really passionate about the subject matter.

A lot of my characters are born out of a small grain in a person that I heighten and take to that next level. They're not based on anyone I've ever met, but they are these extreme versions of something.