Fans of offbeat, smart comedy had to be tickled pick by the news that Conan O’Brien will host the next Academy Awards. But it would have been even more exciting if the academy had tapped Sarah Silverman. Fortunately, those of us in the Twin Cities can get our fix when she stops Saturday at Mystic Lake Casino. The Emmy-winning comic spoke about her latest tour from her Los Angles home last week, just before her 54th birthday.
Q: Is it too early to wish you a happy birthday?
A: Technically it is, but I’ll take it. It’s no big deal. I’ll do what I always do, which is host a big poker game.
Q: What are your rituals when you’re out on the road? Have they changed?
A: I tweet until sound check. I try to get a lot of sleep and bank it, although they say that’s not a real thing. I think I now know why so many comedians, especially me, love “Law & Order.” I used to bring a plaid blanket with me and just put it on top of the bed, because it made me feel like I was at home. “Law & Order” does the same thing. I’ve seen each episode a billion times, but I find it comforting. “Friends” is the same way.
Q: You’ve gotten rave reviews for your serious performances in “Maestro” and “I Smile Back.” Why do so many stand-ups make good dramatic actors?
A: Comedy and drama are both, at the core, about telling the truth. There are a lot of dramatic actors who are brilliant at comedy, but some put a kind of sauce on it when they don’t have to. Same when a comedian is doing drama. I remember doing a film years ago with Sarah Polley [2011′s “Take This Waltz”]. In my mind, drama was about talking really quietly. So when we were filming a scene, I was kind of whispering, even though we were on a bus. Then at lunch, I was telling Sarah a story and I was being big and loud and I realized, “Oh, that’s real life.” I mean, in “Maestro,” my character was big and boisterous. I remember that I always wanted to do drama, I always wanted to try all kinds of things. My agents would say I needed a tape of me doing it. I said, “What about ‘The Aristocrats’?” [the 2005 documentary in which comedians share their versions of a very filthy joke]. In my view, that was drama. It’s very odd that we put things into categories.
Q: It’s great that Conan is getting the Oscars —