Actor and comedian Kitty Flanagan reveals the time she lied to an employer to get out of a job offer
Actor and comedian Kitty Flanagan reveals the time she lied (and cried) to an employer to get out of a job offer.
Actor and comedian Kitty Flanagan tells Bridget Cormack how her first big break was on Full Frontal ... after she had turned down a job offer at an optometrist.
Not on my CV is …the time I did a trial shift working at an optometrist. At the end of the day they offered me the job and I broke down and cried. I told them I couldn’t do it because I’d decided to go overseas, which was a lie. The truth is I’d been so bored that the thought of going back there made me burst into tears. No offence to optometrists, I’m sure there are some very exciting optometrists out there, I just chose one where nothing happened. All day. For hours. Nothing. Oh God, I think I’m going to cry again.
On my mind at 3am is … usually that I shouldn’t have had that cup of tea right before bedtime. But I really love tea. It helps wash down all those biscuits I eat right before bedtime. If I found $50 in the street I would probably … Buy fifty dollars worth of mixed lollies. Sorry, I mean give it to charity.
My first big break was … getting the gig on Full Frontal. I grew up watching The Two Ronnies, Comedy Company, Fast Forward, the Late Show, all I wanted to do was sketch comedy but I had no idea how to make that happen, so I started doing stand-up instead. One night, the producers of Full Frontal came to a comedy club where Julia Morris and I were both on the bill and they offered us a job. Didn’t even make us audition or prove that we could act. I guess they were drunk, or maybe high? Either way, worked out pretty well for both of us.
The last time I laughed until I cried was … on the set of Fisk, doing a scene with Marty Sheargold and Aaron Chen. Marty made me laugh so hard that we had to stop. I was crying, Marty was red in the face and Aaron was snickering like a schoolgirl. Eventually we had to film each bit separately, not looking at each other. Our editor made that scene work, not us.
If my pets could describe me … they would probably say, she spends an awful lot of time on the couch watching television. My dogs, Henry and Pickle, would also tell you that I favour the cat. They’re not wrong. Sarge is my golden boy. Until you’ve had a cat sit on your lap during wintertime, don’t tell me that you don’t like cats.
On my telly at the moment is … I just finished F-Boy Island. And here’s the real confession, I actually enjoyed it! The whole thing was like a send-up of shows like The Bachelor or MAFS. The show seems to be in on the joke. There are no earnest fake “experts” and if anyone has a hissy fit or behaves badly, they really make fun of it rather than use it to create faux drama and tension. I’ve also started watching Blue Lights, a police procedural set in Belfast. I enjoy the challenge of watching a show with really strong accents. I like the focus it requires. You can’t even glance down at your phone while you’re watching or your ear tunes out and you lose your grip on the accent. Suddenly it’s like they’re speaking a foreign language. (By the way, I could spend the whole column on this question. I watch soooo much telly.)
Going on tour again makes me … so happy. Covid taught me never to take working in front of live audiences for granted. You cannot beat the instant feedback. Is this funny? Yes. Is this funny? Nope, quick, try something else …
The most surprising thing about Fisk was … that (her character probate lawyer) Helen Tudor-Fisk became a fashion icon. OK, maybe I’m exaggerating but when we started, you couldn’t find a brown suit for love nor money. By the end of season two, people kept sending me pictures of celebrities wearing baggy brown suits. I’m just saying, Helen may not have worn it best but she wore it first.
Kitty Flanagan resumes her national tour in Adelaide on July 26 at Her Majesty’s Theatre before heading to Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. Fisk is streaming on ABC iView.
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