What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
I used to be quite the worrywart. Especially in this business, there were a lot of times where I wasn’t working, it was hard to find a job and I would just worry, worry, worry. My mom would just say: “don’t borrow trouble” – cross those bridges if and when you get there. It freed me up in a way that I’ve appreciated in the later parts of my career.
Who did you admire when you were starting out as a comedian?
I was a huge Carol Burnett fan. My grandmother watched reruns of her show all the time. I loved how silly she was and I was obsessed with the kind of person she was on and off screen.
You play Nibbles the beaver in Zootropolis 2. Are there any interesting quirks you found with voice acting?
You don’t get a script ahead of time – or not for this particular movie because it was top secret. So I never saw the full film or got to read what happened. I’d go into the booth and the director, Jared [Bush], would tell me, “Here’s what’s happening in this scene.” When I recorded my sessions, I genuinely had no idea how big a part my character played. I assumed I was just popping up here and there!
Can you recall a gig so bad, it’s now funny?
I did a charity event in Virginia, early on in my career, in a biker bar. It was a terrible, terrible venue for comedy. The stage was a crate. The light was like one from a construction site. A karaoke machine was the sound system. No one enjoyed the show, including myself.
Do you have any preshow rituals?
Gosh, no. I’m way too easy going. Tom Papa, who I do a radio show with, laughs at how casual I am before a show. I’m just chatting with people and I arrive at the venue like 15 minutes before and then just go up like it’s a regular old day.
Best heckle?
When I was filming my first special, Sweet & Salty, someone yelled out, “lesbian”, which in some parts of the south would be a hate crime. But in that particular place, I knew it was out of love.
What inspired your current show, Takin’ Care of Biscuits?
I’m talking a lot about my childhood as that was something about Sweet & Salty that people seemed to really enjoy. So I’ve been digging back into those stories. And my mom is always a source of comedy for me.
What’s a joke you’re convinced is brilliant, but just doesn’t land with audiences?
I have a bit about a time I tried to use a restaurant gift card and not tell my friends about it. I was trying to be very low key, but the waitress couldn’t stop saying the words “gift card” and coming back to the table to mention it again. In real life, it was so comically embarrassing. I’ve tried to retell it on stage but it’s not translating somehow.
Any bugbears from the world of comedy?
This is a dream job but the travel is so exhausting. A lot of comics joke that they do the show for free – they’re basically just getting paid to travel. The constant writing is tough, too. You finish a special and then have to completely start over. You think, “Gosh, there’s not that much interesting stuff about me, what else can I come up with?!” But that’s the challenge, and at the end of the day it’s what drives us all to keep getting better.
You star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Fubar. What’s it like working with The Terminator?
He has been in movies. He’s been a governor. He’s been a world champion bodybuilder. He has accomplished all these huge feats! On set he would hold court while we would just listen. Every day you felt like you learned something new just from being around him. He’s a very inspirational guy.
What kind of role would you love to play next?
I just wrapped two Netflix projects that are big broad comedies. One is with Will Ferrell, who plays a professional golfer trying to relive his glory days, and I play his caddie. The other is with Kim Kardashian, Nikki Glaser and Brenda Song. So next it would be cool to pivot to maybe a more serious role in a movie where I’m required to be less of myself.
Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits is on tour across North America and Europe until 9 August, and is at Hackney Empire, London, on 3 June
