Giggle Goddess: Sascha Alexander

What or whom inspired you to pursue a career in comedy?

When I was in high school in Seattle, my best friend Megsie and I used to go see an improv troupe called, “Jet City Improv,” perform at the University of Washington every Friday night.  One night, the troupe was playing a game where they had to guess a number of random activities chosen by the audience using only gibberish and charades.  They were trying to guess the word “Kaiser Roll” and one performer put on this ridiculous German Kaiser costume and his teammates started rolling him around on the ground while he screeched in fake German gibberish.  It was UNREAL.  I thought I was going to die I was laughing so hard.

After that, we were there every weekend.  We seriously knew the whole line-up, knew our favorite performers, and knew all the games they played.  I used to laugh so hard when I went that I thought I was gonna barf.  It was like being high.  Watching comedians like that is so unbelievable.  It’s the most joyous thing I know.  And I’ve always wanted to be around that.

[sz-youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGaGLodqp-o” /]

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard/seen?

In college, I was best friends with an adorable little man named Chris Young.  Chris was the kindest, most good-natured, harmless little guy, always frolicking about (literally, he RAN everywhere, he didn’t walk), always making people laugh, always hugging everyone.  I literally never saw him get angry.  But one super hot summer day, in Pasadena, when we were furnishing our apartment together — Chris totally lost it.

We were supposed to go pick up a bed he was buying from Craigslist, the deal was already made, and after fighting through rush-hour traffic from WeHo to Pasadena in a car with no AC for two hours, the owner of the bed, a hapless man named Richard, sold it right out from under us to another Craigslist customer.  We got the phone call from Richard that it had been sold when we were just a couple blocks away from his apartment complex, and rather than turning around and going home, Chris just flipped.  He screamed at me to KEEP DRIVING to the apartment, and when we got to his street, Chris TORE out of the car, leaving the door hanging open, RAN up to the apartment complex, fell to his knees in the grass and started screaming, “RICHARD!!!!  DAMN YOU, RICHARD!!!”  He called him over and over again saying things like: “YOU BETTER BRING THAT BED DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW, RICHARD!  RIGHT NOW!  WE HAD A DEAL!  RICHARD!!!  I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE WAY THIS TRANSACTION WAS HANDLED!”

I seriously could not handle it.  Chris called over and over again trying to get Richard to come down and negotiate.  He was DEAD serious.  He was gonna get that bed if it killed him.  Eventually, Richard told us he’d be right down, and Chris started pacing back and forth in front of the complex.  We waited.  And waited.  And then, we realized that Richard was not coming downstairs because we were CRAZY PEOPLE.  It was one of the funniest things that’s ever happened to me.  For the rest of the night Chris sent him cryptic texts saying, “That bed was mine, Richard,” or “You made a big mistake, Richard.”  The next day, Richard moved to Hawaii and we never heard from him again.  But I’ll never forget the time that Chris, nicest man on the planet, turned into a complete terrorist.

If Chuck Norris was to corner you in an alley and challenge you to a duel, what would be your weapon of choice?

My rapier-sharp wit!

What are some challenges you’ve faced since going down the comedy track?  What are some things that have made all of those obstacles worth overcoming?

One of my biggest challenges as a comedienne has been that I have no real desire to do stand-up or improv.  I’m a huge fan of watching both of those formats, and I’ve dabbled in both myself, but I’m just not driven to go that direction with my comedy, and that can be tough in a world where every comedienne you meet is expected to be able to do an 8-minute set or to have trained extensively at Groundlings.  For me, it’s been all about finding my format.  Writing sketches, and writing and producing my solo shows has given me an opportunity to showcase my comedy in a way that really works for me.  I just try to remind myself that everyone has different comedic strengths and that mine are equally valuable, even if they’re not super standard.

Which comedienne, dead or alive, would you love to work with/meet?

Love me some Amy Poehler.

In what ways do you think you’ve improved or evolved since your first comedy venture?

I’m much more confident now.  I don’t have to prove to everyone that I can do it all the time… I can just enjoy the process.  And that feels amazing.

What long-term/short-term goals do you have for your career?

In the short-term, I’m really excited to get my solo show up and running this summer, to get three more ArthurORmarthA sketches produced, edited, and online this year.  In the long-term, I see myself on a show like Modern Family or Weeds, something quirky, smart, and heartfelt.  And, of course, I’m dying to do a bunch of Digital Shorts with Andy Samberg and the SNL crew.  UGH!  Love them!!

Do you have a specific audience to whom you play/would like to play?  Describe that audience, and why/how you’re playing to them.

I write for women a lot.  Mostly because I am one, I think… but also because I have known so many dark, hilarious, smart-as-SHIT women, and I want the world to know about them.  Most of my sketches come out of jokes I’ve made while sitting around with my girlfriends and just laughing.  But ultimately, and this is what I love about Comediva so much… it has to be universal.  To really level the playing field, women have to write content for men AND women, and men need to do the same.  I want my comedy to have universal appeal.

What’s your weirdest insecurity?

I get really nervous that people aren’t going to like the same music that I do.  It’s the weirdest thing ever.  If I’m in my car, and like, JAMMING to something and someone else Sascha as a wee baby already plotting comedic world domination.gets in I basically fall all over myself changing the channel or whatever, or like, fumbling around trying to pretend like I wasn’t just rocking out.  Especially with boys.  Wow.  I feel like they’re always going to hate the music I like and then decide they don’t like me anymore.  HAHAHA!

Which character are you most like from “The Divas”?

The sassy Latina one.  Frida.  She’s my jam.

What’s the difference between appealing to women and appealing to men?

If the work is good enough, there is no difference.

What’s your favorite comedy movie of all time?

Ghostbusters, Zoolander, or Wet Hot American Summer.  Please don’t ask me to choose between them.

When you’re not writing/performing comedy, you’re…

Taking pole class at S-factor, waiting tables at XIV, going out to eat with my friends, PAYING ALL MY BILLS UGH, and wishing I had a cat, but still not getting a cat because I’m nervous about the smell.

The title of your autobiography?

“Ferosh: The Story of a Crazy Little Girl, who became a Crazy (no seriously, she’s CRAZY) Little Woman.” 

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