Baron Vaughn

“In New Mexico, my local church did a nativity play, and I was cast as Wise Man #3. Of course, Wise Man #3 had no damn lines. Wise Man #1 had all the lines! I stood there thinking, 'I could do that role so much better!' From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be an actor.”

“In a way, you just can't predict a perfect movie for 'MST3K.'”

“Comedians are always narrating the story of the people. Always.”

“I've always been a big fan of entertainment. Having cable gave me access to HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel. Constantly taking in all these films from different eras and different styles has really given me a good vocabulary in how to talk about movies.”

“Instead of letting anxiety run you, try voicing it. Voice it in your comedy. Voice it in a script. Just voice it, and it'll help you release it.”

“I was really into ska.”

“I used to watch a lot of Nick at Nite as a kid, and it would play the original 'Saturday Night Live,' 'The Carol Burnett Show,' and 'Laugh-In.'”

“It was a long time before I understood what the word 'specific' was. I remember being a kid and thinking it was 'pacific,' and being like, 'Can you be more pacific?' And I believed that for maybe five, six years until someone was like, 'It's 'specific.''”

“You can't erase Bill Cosby's contributions. That's the conflict. He's one of the most influential comedians of all time, and 'The Cosby Show' is one of the most influential sitcoms ever. When I watched as a kid, I wanted Cliff to be my dad. Everybody did.”

“If you live with a certain amount of dread for your own personal safety every day, that is anxiety.”

“Until recently, Hollywood offered only a handful of roles to actors of color. The majority of my opportunities have fallen into two categories: Scary Black and Funny Black.”

“One time, I was really close to Steve Martin. I was too afraid to actually go talk to him, but I'll count that as meeting.”

“What I am trying to do is create a space for people to explore what they want to be, as opposed to fit into a label that they have been given.”

“Theater school is essentially like training. It's boot camp. It's like an academy to put you through all these different situations that sometimes are more extreme than what you'll come across in the field. But now you're emotionally prepared for it so that when it does happen, it's not a big surprise.”

“My first impression of Jane Fonda was she is a queen. She is royalty. She walks into the room - any room - and has this presence about her that demands respect.”

“One percent of all comics ever reach the level of a Chris Rock or a Jerry Seinfeld. When audiences come to the underground rooms, they have a chance to watch the process that happens along the way - and see the comedians grow.”

“The only thing I've ever stolen are hours out of people's lives with meandering conversations.”

“When it comes to politics, comedians read between the lines and see hypocrisies and half-truths. And we report those things to regular people who go, 'I noticed that, too!' or 'You're right, that doesn't make sense!'”

“I wanted to go to theater school.”

“I had a gentleman steal or 'misplace' - I guess I should say 'allegedly' - a lot of money from me. It didn't make any sense when it was happening, because I just didn't understand why I didn't have any money. I was a perfect mark because I had all of this shame and insecurity about money.”