Justine Smith - Funny As Interview

Ex waitress Justine Smith began her comedy career after a dare to enter an open mike night. In this Funny As interview the winner of the 2003 Billy T Award talks about swearing, comedy in the "groundbreaking" 1990s, and more, including:

• Being inspired by British comedian Bill Bailey while she waitressed at one of his shows — and wanting to make people laugh like he did
• How she was one of the few women comedians when she started out in the late 90s — "I was like, 'I'm gonna be just as good, if not better than all of these boys'"
• Figuring out her comedy style — "there were no rules ... you could say and do anything"
• Performing on TV show Pulp Comedy for years, and being the first woman head writer for panel show 7 Days
• Dealing to young male hecklers during her shows

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.