A biography for Jonathan Kriselhasn’t been written yet.
“Different actors have different rhythms. My goal as a director is to let these guys get their best work out.”
“There's a thing in comedy where you take one step into a bad idea, but if you take 10, then it becomes a good idea again.”
“When you make a pilot, you've never seen the show before; you don't know what it is.”
“I loved 'Welcome to the Dollhouse.' That was one of the most influential movies ever. You know that genre with the nerdy girl, and she redeems herself in the end. Like 'Napoleon Dynamite.' And in 'Welcome to the Dollhouse,' she doesn't. She sucks. It's like, that's what's real. That's what's heartbreaking.”
“With all the outlets, if you have a strong comedic voice, there's a venue to do your thing. It's a bit of a meritocracy, where the best stuff rises to the top.”
“I want to work with extremely, genuinely charismatic people.”
“I know comedy; I know how to do crazy, off-the-wall stuff that makes me laugh out loud.”
“It's how you define yourself. It's not Nirvana or Pearl Jam: it's, 'Do you watch 'Portlandia' or 'Amy Schumer'?' It relates to a specific sense of humor. And, 'Do you know the hidden gems?' Like, if you knew the Pixies in the '80s.”
“I'm never trying to make something esoteric; it just happens.”
“I'm a huge 'Twin Peaks' fan.”
“When people feel vulnerable, they make slapstick decisions.”
“I always want to push myself.”
“It's exciting being in the present. You're always reading emails, talking about the future, looking at pictures on Facebook of the past. But living in the present? It's almost a dead medium. I almost want to do a sketch about being in the present.”
“I like dry-to-the-bone stuff. I don't know what it is. I was raised on PBS showing weird British comedies.”
“Portland is a place where everyone closes their eyes and crosses their fingers and hopes for a better community. They keep it small and local, and usually they think if they just make great coffee, it's the best thing for the neighborhood.”
“You can use cheap technology to get a great look.”
“Certain shows, when it's all comedy, it's like when you eat something that's too sweet and it just tastes gross. You need that salted caramel.”
“As the director, you have it in your mind how you want the part done, how you want someone to do it, and so sometimes you just say, 'Why don't I do it myself?' So for a little role, I'll just do it.”
“I am huge fan of Australian comedy. 'Strictly Ballroom' is one of my favorite movies. Definitely the British Commonwealth's sensibility is where I draw a lot of my influences.”
“A lot of the 'Portlandia' characters and a lot of the moments aren't really TV-worthy, but that's what is so refreshing about seeing them.”