I always used to watch 'The Daily Show,' and there were all these comedic geniuses there. I didn't know if I was going to be hired full time or not. At the beginning, I was sort of hired as a part time, on and off guy. When I first got hired - it was August 2006 - and I was working on and off, and they'd call me whenever.
Aasif Mandvi
Related I just needed a job. Before being hired as an usher at the CBS Theatre, I didn't even know there... DAVID GEFFEN I mean this sincerely... and I don't know why, but there was a period of time that for some reas... DAVE FINKEL The actress they'd hired had refused to appear naked in front of the camera. I didn't like t... VICTORIA ABRIL I like to open for a band as it brings on sort of a challenge and it makes things more interesting. ... KELLY JONES The first time I cut all my hair off was when I was 19. I just got fed up going to the salon every w... LUPITA NYONG'O When I was hired to 'SNL,' I was 25 years old. AIDY BRYANT All I wanted was attention from girls when I was a kid. Then I got my braces off, and then there was... LUCAS TILL In the early '90s, I was hired to write educational dramas about HIV and AIDS in the shantytowns... GAVIN HOOD I hired Tina Fey for 'SNL,' which was certainly a good match. She took off right away there. ADAM MCKAY When I was young, I was a sucker for smooth men. Bryan Ferry hired me, at 19, to be painted blue and... JERRY HALL I was a hired drummer for 3 Doors; there wasn't an opportunity for me to write. DANIEL ADAIR I was thrilled to be rehired for the 1919 'Follies.' Mr. Ziegfeld himself hired me. To me, t... DORIS EATON TRAVIS When I was about nine years old, I announced to my mother that I was going to cook Thanksgiving dinn... NATHAN MYHRVOLD When I was a teenager, I thought maybe I'll be a filmmaker, making film documentaries. My dream ... ISABELLA ROSSELLINI I wish I had never got manic depression. When I was in junior high, I didn't know what was the m... DANIEL JOHNSTON Like many people, I kicked around, struggled to become a writer, finally got my first full-time job ... DAVID GRANN When I was writing the Destiny's Child songs, it was a big thing to be that young and taking con... BEYONCE KNOWLES For the longest time I was afraid I'd have to keep on working at the factories. There was a stee... DANIEL JOHNSTON I have kept a diary, WITHNAIL AND I When Carpenter was shooting 'Vampires' in New Mexico when I was living there, I desperately ... DREW GODDARD My own musical ambitions were born when I was five, watching the Ed Sullivan Show on TV. When Elvis ... SUZI QUATRO When Fargo came out, I hired a publicist for the first time in my life. I thought, if ever I was goi... WILLIAM H. MACY My first job was as a waitress, and I waitressed for a long, long time. I was a very bad waitress. I... CHERYL HINES My mother was suffering every day of her life, and what right did I have to be happy if she was suff... GENE WILDER When I was 16 I'd watch 'The Godfather,' but I didn't think, 'Right, I'm goi... NOEL GALLAGHER Sometimes work is a bit slow, and I always wanted to be a princess at Disneyland. There were 1,500 o... CHRISTA B. ALLEN I went out there for a thousand a week, and I worked Monday, and I got fired Wednesday. The guy that... NELSON ALGREN The first time in August, I didn't know what was going on. I heard all these helicopters and thought... BILL KILLION I'd been going up for things, but I hadn't got anything, and then 'Anne Frank' came ... ELLIE KENDRICK There was a bit of a readjustment period because I didn't know what it was going to be like. I d... DAVE LOMBARDO I want to be able to raise my kid. I was totally being a martyr about it at first, thinking I could ... KERI RUSSELL I remember when we were shooting 'Boogie Nights,' all of my stand-ins were wiping out all th... HEATHER GRAHAM I remember the first time I went to Italy when I was eighteen, I was in Florence and there were all ... WALTER KIRN I didn't know anything about Eliza when I first got the call about 'Hamilton.' Tommy Kai... PHILLIPA SOO As the days went on, I didn't mind the games. In fact, I looked forward to them. That was the ea... AL KALINE When Roger Ailes hired me, he knew I was the daughter of a college professor and a nurse. There was ... MEGYN KELLY There was a lot of talk about a couple of coaches leaving, and if they were I was at least intereste... DETLEF SCHREMPF I was a bartender in New York and I overheard this girl saying she made $3000 doing a commercial. A ... PAULEY PERRETTE I was doing shows and flying economy, and nobody ever fed me. Or I'd be staying in hotels so che... KATE MOSS My mum used to ride, and when she was mucking out, I always wanted to sit on a horse. And if she too... CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN I felt, selfishly, that if there was going to be a TV show about 'Hannibal Lecter' whether I... BRYAN FULLER I used to do crazy things that people would bail me out of, and I'm just grateful that I survive... ERIC CLAPTON I always hired widows with children, because they had to work and didn't have any foolishness ab... COLONEL SANDERS I don't watch much television. My old TV agent used to always get mad at me because he'd sen... ZOSIA MAMET My first job was in pantomime; I was a chorus girl in 'Dick Whittington' at 16. I got the pa... CELIA IMRIE There was a period of time when I first moved to Nashville, like the first couple of years, that I w... FAITH HILL When I got my first loft, I still didn't know what I was going to paint... There were long stret... JAMES ROSENQUIST I always thought Johnny Carson was just brilliant, and I used to watch him and all the comics that w... STEVEN WRIGHT I didn't want to be thirtysomething and not know what I was going to do. I was quite afraid of t... STELLA MCCARTNEY I always loved all kinds of music. I would watch musicals a lot as a kid, on TV, watch the Fred Asta... QUEEN LATIFAH Since my parents both worked, they hired me when I was 11 to make dinner every night. I got a quarte... TERI HATCHER I did 'Showtime at the Apollo' when I was 10, and it was the first time that I'd ever pe... SEVYN STREETER They hired me at the end of August, and said I have to have everything done by the beginning of Sept... JACOB HUNTER I worked on 'Sarah Connor' even longer than 'Firefly.' And I always remembered how g... SUMMER GLAU When I first did 'Moby,' I didn't realize how taxing it would be. I was climbing fifty f... STEPHEN COSTELLO Playing a positive role on a network television show, it was great. I took it as a responsibility. P... ERIK ESTRADA I was often looked at as a leper by kids at school because I was a Jehovah's Witness. They didn&... LUKE EVANS I always look back at when I didn't have a dream, when I didn't have a spirit. I didn't ... BOB BEAMON I always knew I'd keep at it with the plodding doggedness that I used to master lump-less gravy ... MARYJANICE DAVIDSON Gail didn't want me commenting on the opinion pages. I was hired by the news department and, des... DANIEL OKRENT I guess at the age of 15 was the first time I made a goal of wanting to be on television, and I didn... DULE HILL I never knew what basketball was. I started playing on the playground. People used to laugh at me an... PATRICK EWING I was hired by the 'Tom Joyner Morning Show' to do commentary that makes people think. I wan... DON LEMON I didn't start drama school until I was 20, and I don't think I would have gotten nearly as ... BEN SCHNETZER There were days when I was literally running for hours in the forest and then I'd jump on a plan... PETER FACINELLI I've never been a planner. I didn't know I was going to run for the State House. I didn'... NIKKI HALEY I didn't know at the time that the energy that I was giving off was like a battle Emcee. KOOL MOE DEE 'Brisco' was the first show I created, and of course, at the time I had no idea what a speci... CARLTON CUSE My dad was a really good surfer, and by the time I was 10, he was dragging me out on some good days ... XAVIER RUDD I've always loved acting, even from when I was a child. But when I got on stage, I realised I co... CLARON MCFADDEN He was a pretty black-and-white guy when I hired him. I kept telling him things were not always blac... LARRY STEVENS When I was young, I'd watch guys on 'The Tonight Show', Buddy Hackett, guys like that, w... NORM MACDONALD The only reason I'm ever in character as 'Larry The Cable Guy' is because that's wha... LARRY THE CABLE GUY When I got hired to do 'Guardians,' it was the dream of a lifetime for me. This is what I... JAMES GUNN Madam your wife and I didn't hit it off the only time I ever saw her. I won't say she was si... ELIZABETH GASKELL When I left my Catholic school, I was around 10 or 11 years old, and it started to unravel for me th... MARK RUFFALO When I was little, I used to watch Disney movies all the time, and it drove me crazy that Cinderella... ALLISON WILLIAMS I love New York. I first came here with my Mom when I was in 9th grade. I took the subway for the fi... SKYLAR GREY My brothers used to call me Bob. They'd laugh at me, and I didn't get it. I'm 13 years o... MICHAEL STRAHAN I always wanted to be an actress. And it wasn't ego. I felt so little about myself, considered m... FRANCES BAY I actually used to make these little plays. I would stand there, and I would act out where I was dyi... MADISON DAVENPORT I was nervous from the very beginning, and it got worse as the years went on. I was conscientious an... KATHARINE CORNELL If I'd had the chance, I'd like to have completed my degree before going full-time, and spor... RAJIV OUSEPH When we started the process, it was clear that I would stay on if nobody was hired, ... I enjoy work... JOHN PORTER I would say my first golf memory was asking who Arnold Palmer was when he was always on the Pennzoil... MIKE GREENBERG As I was sitting there, the deejay was playing music and talking over the music, and the kids were g... SYLVIA ROBINSON I've got to wear sunglasses everywhere, all the time, even if its indoors or at night time, to b... PSY The first win came very quick, and I didn't know what it meant to win a major championship. I wa... INBEE PARK I've been watching what I eat. When I was putting on all the weight, I was drinking Guinness and... ROBBIE WILLIAMS There was this project I really wanted before 'Glee' and I didn't get cast - I went in a... DIANNA AGRON There was a time when my whole life was in chaos, really, and I didn't help myself sort it out. ... BILLY IDOL My father's record collection was full of New Orleans music of all kinds. I used to listen to th... MADELEINE PEYROUX They say it's good but I didn't know what I was doing until I got into the suit and they put... HARVEY KORMAN Ever since the infamous quiz show scandals of the 1950s, the feds had insisted that TV game shows be... SETH SHOSTAK Every time I show up to do something here it's considered a comeback. If I came into town and th... SHEENA EASTON Everybody wants to do 'The View.' It's this iconic show. When I worked at the White Hous... NICOLLE WALLACE When Bush first got elected, the very first time there was talk of going to war with Iraq, the mains... ED HARRIS When I stepped into the box, I felt the at-bat belonged to me. Everybody else was there for my conve... REGGIE JACKSON I remember kickboxing and traveling the world when I was young. I would go to Japan or Africa, and I... DONALD CERRONE I've been on the floor and I've been heartbroken. I didn't know how I was going to stand... SANDRA BULLOCK
More Aasif Mandvi
People lament that there's no roles being written for South Asian or Muslim characters. But thei... AASIF MANDVI The artist never really has any control over the impact of his work. If he starts thinking about the... AASIF MANDVI I never consciously got into comedy. It was sort of one of those things where I was a theater studen... AASIF MANDVI Traditional television as we have known it will make love to the Internet and have a child. That chi... AASIF MANDVI What's great about 'The Daily Show' is I can use satire and push the envelope. I couldn&... AASIF MANDVI Being American and being an outsider at the same time, it's a perspective I often bring to a cha... AASIF MANDVI Religion is so much more than the god you pray to. The religion that you associate with, it's cu... AASIF MANDVI I'm Muslim the way many of my Jewish friends are Jewish: I avoid pork, and I take the big holida... AASIF MANDVI I'm not really a food connoisseur. AASIF MANDVI The experience of being on a show that is very much in the center of popular culture is exciting. Yo... AASIF MANDVI In America, people think being South Asian is still kind of exotic. When you go outside New York and... AASIF MANDVI I was born in Mumbai, but I grew up in England, and then my adulthood has been in the States. I'... AASIF MANDVI In order to change the conversation about Muslims in American media, we need a diverse, unified move... AASIF MANDVI I rarely went to the mosque, I never fasted, and I only prayed namaaz on the holy nights because my ... AASIF MANDVI One of the first auditions I had in New York was for a commercial where I had to go in and audition ... AASIF MANDVI In Britain, you never get away from the fact that you're a foreigner. In the U.S., the view is i... AASIF MANDVI If you don't acknowledge differences, it's as bad as stereotyping or reducing someone. AASIF MANDVI I worked with Ismail Merchant on 'The Mystic Masseur,' I did 'Sakina's Restaurant,... AASIF MANDVI That's the Indian in me - you must put spices on everything. As a kid, whenever we got sick, my ... AASIF MANDVI You can talk about and think about Muslims as you want, but you can't stop Muslims from building... AASIF MANDVI The great joy of doing 'The Daily Show' for me is that I get to sit on the fence between cul... AASIF MANDVI My tenure at 'The Daily Show' started during the decade after September 11, and fear of Musl... AASIF MANDVI For my parents' generation, the idea was not that marriage was about some kind of idealized, rom... AASIF MANDVI When I was 11 my friend's mom made a peanut butter sandwich. I ate the sandwich and was like, ... AASIF MANDVI 'Halal in the Family' will expose a broad audience to some of the realities of being Muslim ... AASIF MANDVI I think Islam has been hijacked by the idea that all Muslims are terrorists; that Islam is about hat... AASIF MANDVI I always focused on being an actor. I did stand-up briefly, but I also did a lot of dramatic work. B... AASIF MANDVI I did a play called 'Disgraced' in 2012 at Lincoln Center, which ultimately won the Pulitzer... AASIF MANDVI The longer I spent time on 'The Daily Show,' standing in front of a green screen pretending ... AASIF MANDVI I'm free to see things objectively because I don't consider myself American, and I don't... AASIF MANDVI The pleasure from acting comes from having great writing to work with. If it's well written and ... AASIF MANDVI I figure if people don't want to make the distinction between a Muslim and a terrorist, then why... AASIF MANDVI It is ironic that it doesn't matter how successful I am in any other capacity: ultimately, my pa... AASIF MANDVI I was born in India - but never really lived there. AASIF MANDVI An artist's job is simply to take the mirror in front of your face and hold it there. It's n... AASIF MANDVI One thing I always did in my career was writing. I always was writing. I was trying to create things... AASIF MANDVI My family is Muslim. But I don't consider myself a very devout Muslim, but a cultural Muslim, wh... AASIF MANDVI They wanted to audition people for the Middle East correspondent on 'The Daily Show.' They w... AASIF MANDVI When I got to Florida, I was a British kid, but I was also an Indian kid: a brown kid with an Englis... AASIF MANDVI I think I would like to see more roles for South Asian performers that are more inclusive and part o... AASIF MANDVI When you're a standup comic, you get up and you try stuff, and you're always kind of seeing ... AASIF MANDVI I go to Buzzfeed and 'Huff Po,' IMDB, 'Deadline.' And then I just Google myself, lik... AASIF MANDVI I've actually changed my view of Los Angeles. When I was younger, I hated it, because I thought ... AASIF MANDVI I'm a little bit like a turducken: I'm sort of like an Indian person, wrapped in a British p... AASIF MANDVI