Before the Oscars, before Harry Potter, Emma Thompson planned to be a comedian. She performed sketch comedy at Cambridge Footlights alongside Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, inspired by Lily Tomlin's one-woman shows.
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At 24:28 · chapter starts 24:05
Will Arnett drops what is genuinely new information for the other hosts: Emma Thompson spent years in the famous Cambridge Footlights sketch comedy group — the equivalent, she explains, of SNL in review format — alongside Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. [1] — Emma Thompson "Before the Oscars, before Harry Potter, Emma Thompson planned to be a comedian. She performed sketch comedy at Cambridge Footlights alongsi…" 24:28 What surprises Jason and Sean further is that comedy was her intended career, not drama. She deeply admired Lily Tomlin, especially 'The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe', and Jane Wagner's extraordinary characters. Jason quickly notes that she never fully left comedy — every dramatic role she plays carries some cheeky wink, some expanded comic possibility. It is a generous observation, and Emma accepts it warmly.
Emma Thompson performed sketch comedy for years in the Cambridge Footlights alongside Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, describing it as similar in format to Saturday Night Live.
Emma Thompson originally planned to be a stand-up comedian, inspired by Lily Tomlin, before her acting career took off.
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