Madeleine Sami - Funny As Interview

Actor, writer, and director Madeleine Sami has been honing her skills in theatre, television and film since she was a teen. She talks in this Funny As interview about Kiwi humour, performing, and other subjects, including:

• Coming from a large, close extended family, where "everyone's got a good singing voice and everyone's a comedian"
• Travelling around the world to perform in Toa Fraser plays Bare and No. 2, soon after leaving high school
• Learning to write on drama/comedy TV series Super City, and playing all five lead characters in the first season
• Worries over whether Americans would get the humour in her and Jackie van Beek's film The Breaker Upperers 
• Feeling excited that New Zealand comedy is respected overseas — "It feels really nice, it feels like we can be ourselves and laugh at ourselves and the rest of the world get it"
• Wanting to try stand-up comedy next

This interview was recorded for 2019 TV series Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. All audiovisual content is copyright to Augusto, and may not be reproduced. Publication of Funny As extended interviews made possible with funding from the NZ Lotteries Grants Board.