Sublime

completely changed my philosophy about stand-up. He was like, “This idea that your generation has about ‘you have to burn your material and start fresh every time’—it’s just so self-important. Not everybody’s watching everything you do, you know.” He said, “Focus on coming up with your best act for a live show. Remember: Seventy-five percent of the

Leslie: I have three: Harold and Maude, Broadcast News, Terms of Endearment.

Judd: Are they, though? Do you care? Like, do you care that you won the Oscar? Mel: You know, when I was younger, I really did. It was thrilling. But then as you get older, you’re more interested in your cholesterol.

He talked a lot about how the key was to try to get to the emotional core of each character, which I had never heard before. He taught me that comedy is about truth and revealing yourself, and these are lessons I apply every day in my work.