Amy Poehler on the hard work of comedy

Amy Poehler has been on some of the most important comedy scenes and has delivered some truly memorable lines, such as the accolades to director Kathryn Bigelow at the 2013 Golden Globes: “I haven’t really followed the controversy over ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ “But when it comes to torture, I trust the lady who was married to James Cameron for three years.”

But before that, of course, she was just a girl, the daughter of two public school teachers in Burlington, Massachusetts. people.

Correspondent Luke Burbank asked Poehler, “How big was it to be funny to you when you were a kid? Was that part of your personality?”

“That’s a deep question, Luke,” he sighed. “Yes. I liked the feeling that I could make people laugh, or if I tried to be funny, it would work. Sometimes he did not tried it, and I laughed, and that was sad. Those were sad days. “

However, above all, the laughter that Poehler achieved was intentional, especially when he perfected his comic coasts, first in Boston, where he attended college …

“Not Harvard,” he said. “People should know that.”

“You know it was Harvard when people do not do it “If people say,” I went to school in Boston, it’s probably Harvard. ”

“But it wasn’t Harvard. It was Harvard Plus. It was Harvard more elegant!”

… And then to Chicago, where he joined the legendary Second City improv company, and later co-founded the Upright Citizens Brigade. It was in Chicago where Poehler met a young Tina Fey, with whom he connected instantly, and then reconnected a few years later to “Saturday Night Live”:

Poehler said: “I loved people, the most important thing. But I also loved the skills I learned to let things go. It’s like an emergency room. You feel really excited to have survived. and you can die if you do. ” You’ve been there too long! “

Not wanting to diePoehler left “SNL” after eight seasons, to play the role that could very well end up defining his career: Leslie Knope in “Parks and Recreation.”

Knope could have been just another two-dimensional comedy character. But Poehler and the show’s writers managed to do something quite remarkable with Leslie Knope: they created a complete approach to life.

Burbank said: “This is something that many people, especially women, see as a way of looking at their world and their existence.”

“Yes. I think what she represented was this person in a job that looked like she had a low ceiling, but she had a lot of hopes and dreams,” Poehler said. “And she was trying to figure out how to work the system or make the system work for her, without losing her joy, her spirit, without that crushing her.”

While Hollywood can have an overwhelming effect on many people, especially women, Poehler has found a way to thrive and become an influential producer in her own right.

In his production office he showed Burbank some of the memories he has accumulated over the years. “Have you ever seen, like now, documentaries about nature and herons catching bright things to build a nest? That’s what I’ve done here,” he said. “That was Pawnee’s stamp on the set and behind Leslie’s desk, and I stole it. And now I put it behind my desk.”

“And this is your real desk where you really produce things for your producer, Paper Kite?” Burbank asked. “Ever, like, look back at Pawnee’s stamp and think, ‘Let me try to channel that optimism or energy or whatever Leslie had?’

“It’s a pleasure to have him behind me, because I worked with him behind me for so many years.”

“I think it’s also interesting that this is your daily planner …”

Poehler pushed him aside, “You don’t have permission to look at this.”

In addition to producing a variety of projects, Poehler also directs, including the most recent “Lucy and Desi,” a documentary about the famous couple.

“Lucy firmly believed that she shouldn’t be labeled a genius because she works very hard and works very hard in her craft,” Poehler said. “I don’t think there are enough women who call themselves geniuses. hateful. “

“Do you think there are any parallels between your career and your career?” Burbank asked.

“I feel very connected to what I think I was feeling or going through … How do I reconcile work and family? How can I take advantage of my currency and my opportunity? How can I amplify voices? How do I occupy space in the room? All that kind of thing that Lucy had to deal with 50 years before me, or women like me. “

Poehler’s media profiles often focus on her role as a woman in the world of comedy. And when our interview was over, Burbank had just one more question to answer:

Burbank said: “I was asked not to ask about it, but I can’t let it go …”

“So you’re okay, but you’re just pausing … so they asked you not to ask …?”

“Yes, and I will do it anyway.”

“That’s interesting. That’s telling me more about you, Luke!”

“Are men funny?”

She laughed. “Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. I am very, very proud of you. Good job, mate!“

To watch a trailer for the documentary “Lucy and Desi”, click on the following video player:

For more information:

• “Lucy and Desi” is now available on Amazon Prime

Story produced by John Goodwin. Editor: Mike Levine.

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• Amy Poehler