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Oprah: Yes. See, that’s another way you’re so normal! Everyone says that happy-go-lucky people don’t make great comics, that comedians need a dark side. You don’t seem to have one.
Jerry: It probably helps that I had a long early career; things didn’t just happen for me overnight. I’d been working as a comedian since I was 21, and I didn’t get the sitcom until I was 35; by then I’d been knocked around quite a bit. Then I did the show for nine years, and I wasn’t going out every night afterwards. So at 44, I was unleashed on the world for the first time as a famous person of means. By then I’d gotten a goo education in life. But what I had, and more, landed in Eddie Murphy’s lap when he was around 22. That’s a different puzzle.
Oprah: How so?
Jerry: In every conceivable way. I read about a study that says your brain goes from impulsive to thoughtful over the course of living. So when some old guy comes back to talk to young kids in prison, for instance, and he says, “Don’t make the mistakes I made,” he can’t reach those kids. Their brains are actually built differently. How come we all have a story about some insane thing we did at 22 that we could never go today because we’re built that way.
Oprah: I get it. By the time you became successful, you already knew who you were
Jerry: Right. Being an actor is the art of becoming other people; being a comedian is the art of leraning who you are. A good comedian is someone who allows his or her personality to come out. Five minutes after Bill Cosby has been on a stage, you’re thinking, I know this guy.
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Oprah: After you decided, were you thinking, Maybe this will work, maybe it won’t?
Jerry: No. I’m fiercely determined when I make a commitment. Fiercely. And nurturing I nurture my commitment.
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Oprah: Yes – I love that. On the subject of memorable quote, I’ve heard that you’re one of the most sought-after public speakers at college commencement.
Jerry: Really? I didn’t know that. I seldom do it. Tony Bennett, one of my heroes, asked me to speak at the first commencement fro a high school for performing arts in New York. So I wrote a speech, and it actually turned out to be pretty good.
Oprah: What’s the essence of what you said?
Jerry: I gave them my three rules for living. First, bust your ass. That’s a universal law, no matter what you do. Second, pay attention. Learn from everything and everyone all the time. One of my favorite expressions is “Wherever you look, there’s something to see.” Finally, I gave them my third rule: Fall in love. Fall in love with your street, your tennis game, a pillow.
Oprah: Have some passion about life.
Jerry: Exactly. You can be passionate about anything. Someone could say, “ I love this fork,” and I’d think that was great. Pay attention; don’t let life go by you. Fall in love with the back of your cereal box.
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