Good advice from Sacha Baron Cohen’s writing partner
June 3rd, 2009 | San Francisco ComedyDo you have any advice for the budding humor writer?
“There are two things I would say are the key to comedy. One is character. All good comedy comes from character. In my mind, jokes are one thing, but without a convincing protagonist and somebody you care about, your comedy is on a path to nothing. All my favorite comedies are character-based, whether it’s George Costanza in Seinfeld, David Brent in The Office, or Woody Allen. Character, character, character.
Number two is to have a voice. Have an opinion. Try and say something. I don’t think it’s enough to just write trifling jokes. You should have a point of view. Have the confidence in what you think. Don’t let the executives or your own self-doubt dilute what you want to say.”
-Dan Mazer, co-writer and former classmate of Sacha Baron Cohen, in Vanity Fair magazine.
