I did six Broadway shows, and I noticed there weren't many female comedians. When I went to a dancing audition, there were 1,000 girls. And there were three jobs. So I said I'll just try comedy. And I loved it.
Interpretation
This quote reflects Rita Rudner's journey into comedy, highlighting the gender disparity in the field and her decision to pursue a passion she discovered.
Rita Rudner shares her experiences in the Broadway scene, emphasizing the lack of opportunities for female comedians compared to the abundance of female dancers at auditions. This observation led her to explore comedy, a choice that ultimately brought her joy and fulfillment. Her statement underscores the importance of finding one's own path, especially in environments where expectations or stereotypes may limit options for others.
In practice
Use this quote during a panel discussion on women in entertainment.
Being an Asian person on SNL,' when people are like, 'Why did it take so long?' It's sort of a question that doesn't fully understand the idea that there is no developmental experiential process for a queer Asian person to get into comedy in a way that feels inevitable.
When I first started doing sketch comedy, I promised myself that if I were ever to have any success in this business, I wouldn't hold back. Why get there and play it safe?
But I just think I was lucky enough to figure out early on that I wanted to do comedy, so that's what I put all my effort into.
There are certainly other female comics who are moms, but I don't know any who are actively touring with their kids. But there are more and more becoming moms, and it's awesome. I feel we're in a super sisterhood.
I used to forget that I was an Indian woman. I would even forget that I was a woman. I don't think of myself as bringing to the table a lot of 'women's issues.' I don't feel the need to write about maternity. I grew up thinking that the talented people in comedy were hard-joke writers.
When I was a younger guy doing comedy, it was a big struggle. Promoters canceled me out of clubs left and right when I called somebody a dummy or a yo-yo. Then they realized I was different.
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