Chris Lilley

I have a massive guilt thing about money.

In Australia, I'm built up as this comedy hero, which was never my intention.

I find myself believing everything that journalists tell me.

When I was in school, I was always writing scripts and dressing up as characters. I'd constantly be that guy who'd get up on stage. I used to write imaginary TV shows, like soap operas, for fun.

You feel the pressure of going to university because you need a back-up plan, which is why I enrolled.

I don't like to analyze what I do too much, but I certainly never meet a single person and say, 'You're the next character.' People think that's what I do. They also think that I sit down and observe and try to imitate random people. I've never done that at all.

I went to a private boys' school, and we had girls in the last two years.

I really like Jeff Lewis and 'Flipping Out' and 'Interior Therapy.' I don't know why I'm obsessed with American real estate and renovation.

I think after doing a few shows now, people are ready to put me down.

If you over-think, it affects things too much; I work instinctively, like painting in a way. Think too much, and you ruin everything.

I find actors a little bit too self-conscious.

I've never been a 16-year-old girl.

To be honest, after all the crap that happened with 'Summer Heights High,' I was like, 'I'm not going to write anything controversial or edgy ever again; I just can't handle the blame.'

People are always nice; I never get anything mean said to me on the street.

I feel like I'm so normal. So normal it's boring.

I never like to think of any character as being over. I'm always thinking of different ways of bringing them back.

I think my parents had a hard time dealing with me.

I didn't do very well academically; I was always in the bottom class.

I was sure 'Summer Heights High' would be a cult ABC thing; I had no idea it would be such a big hit.

I get bored with the constant probing for the cliched tears of the clown, the dark side of the comic.

Fans feel they know me, so they want me to be on-the-spot funny, and it's hard to fulfil their expectations.

There are bits of me in all my characters.

I'm not interested in being one of those comedians who wants to look good and be this 'cool' funny person. I don't care how weird or ugly I look.

I'm definitely attracted to the idea of people that have these big aspirations that the audience know might never happen, but they're lost in them.

People think that I'm some kind of genius who's got these statements to say, and... I'm not really.

I'm not a big fan of 'Jersey Shore' and those kinds of shows where people are really playing up to the cameras.

When no one knows you, and you're just trying to break into stuff, it's so good because you can write whatever you want and just say it; it's just between you and the audience. There's no process or worrying about anyone else interfering with what you're doing.

Like, Australians definitely don't walk around dressed up in blackface going, 'Ha-ha.'

Religious humor is not really my area, so I probably wouldn't do anything about that, or politics or something.

I'm pretty lucky. I don't get too many haters.

I'm not a big comedy show-watcher, but I love Ricky Gervais' stuff and Sacha Baron Cohen's things. But I'm not an expert on them. I've seen them once.

Australia has a thing where apparently it's fine for me to dress up as an Asian woman. No one has questioned that.

British comedy fans go crazy.

I'm so independent in writing stuff and controlling what I do. Sometimes I get calls from people asking to be in their movie, but I'm always writing or editing, and I can never get around to doing it. I'm so much more interested in my own stuff. I think I drive my agent crazy.

I feel really qualified to write about Australia.

I don't just want to upset people and shock people by saying something really outrageous.

I think surprises make TV entertaining.

It takes me ages to write stuff.

It's barely OK for me to be dressed up as a black guy. But part of me kind of enjoys provoking people.

I find teenage girls endlessly funny.

Films do seem prestigious and glamorous, but when you create something, you want people to see it. TV still reaches so many more people; it still really appeals to me.

It's pretty awful being told you're a racist.

I'm interested in youth culture - when your parents are running your life, but you think you're the big man - but I'm not trying to make a statement.

I like playing all sorts of ages and genders.

Mostly, what I watch are reality shows and documentaries.

I'm not really a management-type person. It doesn't suit my personality to be bossing people around.

When I wrote 'We Can Be Heroes,' I was just so excited about the concept of playing loads of characters, and a television series allows you to do that.

I'm totally not media shy and do interviews all the time and go to events and totally play along and actually enjoy talking to journalists most of the time.

You can't get any better than TV on HBO, ABC and BBC3.

Playing girls is cool, but its a lot more fun playing boys.