I started in high school, and in college, I studied radio, TV, and film. The plan was to be a filmmaker, and it was always comedy.

I did not go into comedy to escape anything. I went into comedy because I had parents who thought it was a reputable way to earn a living.

In 2004 I had the fortune - or the misfortune - of playing John Kerry. It was hard because I think the best impressions exaggerate someone's most well-known quality. And exaggerating gravitas is very hard to pull off.

The nice thing about anger is that, as an emotion, it's strong enough to unplug me from the comedian's mind for a minute and just be a frustrated member of the citizenry.

When my girlfriend and I talk about being happy, I'll get choked up, which I think is the greatest gift you can give a girlfriend.