Comedy Examiner Interview: Olivia Munn talks fame, 'The Daily Show', and more (Part One of Two)

Olivia Munn is now part of The Daily Show and NBC's Perfect Couples: awesomeness.

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Comedy Central's Daniel Tosh (host and creator of Tosh.0).  Because good things come in two's, today I had the opportunity to chat with brand-new Daily Show correspondent, Olivia Munn.  Fanboys, geeks, and gamers everywhere are of course already familiar with Munn's work on the awesome Attack of The Show, but recently the actress has been appearing in progressively higher-profile roles.  It started with parts in Date Night and The Slammin' Salmon, moved on to a role in Iron Man 2, and has now brought her to a starring role in her own sitcom (NBC's upcoming Perfect Couples) and the aforementioned guest stint on The Daily Show, where she may become a regular.  Despite being this busy, Munn still had the time to talk to your lowly Comedy Examiner.  Read it for yourselves below, my gentle Examiner readers...

Imagine how happy I was this morning when I discovered that two of my favorite things had been brought together:  Herbal Essences Shampoo now makes waffles!  Shortly after this discovery, I also learned that another two of my favorite things had collided: the drop-dead-gorgeous Olivia Munn had been picked up for a recurring correspondent spot on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.  This was a good day, indeed.  In case you missed her debut sketch on last night's show, head on over to this page to check it out.  Go ahead, we'll wait here. 

Well, things only got better when I landed an interview with Ms. Munn earlier today.  She was coming off four hours' worth of interviews to promote her various projects, and I got ahold of her just as she'd settled in for a few rounds' worth of margaritas at the end of the day (mid-afternoon, but who's counting?).  In the process of putting this together, I had a tough time finding photos of Ms. Munn that didn't feature her in a bikini (which seemed like they'd make this whole article seem a little creepier than it should be), so please forgive all the head-shots that follow.  You're gorgeous, Olivia, but we can't have our visual aids distracting the readers.  So, no pictures like this:

See how distracting that is?  It's terrible.  Anyway, the whole thing took on a really conversational tone, so I'm transcribing it as-is and splitting it into two parts.  This is the first part, and we'll be running the second half either late tonight or early tomorrow morning.  Here we go:

Olivia Munn:...Where are you at, by the way?

Comedy Examiner: I'm in Austin. 

OM: Austin, TX?  I f-cking love Austin.  My girlfriend, she went to Texas, but I went to Oklahoma, and it's that weird thing where I feel close to people from Texas because Oklahoma's so small.  I'll tell people, "You're from Texas?  Oh, cool, I'm from Oklahoma!"  But I don't think people from Texas feel the same way about people from Oklahoma.  They don't, y'know, feel close to you at all.

CE:  Why did you pick Oklahoma? 

OM: Oh, I don't think I picked it.  Oklahoma picked me.  I was born in Oklahoma.

CE:  Ah, alright.  I thought you meant you went to school there--

OM: I did, I went to school there because my mother was like, "We can't pay for out of state colleges, stop applying".  I was like, "Mom, what are you-- I got into Yale!"  I didn't really get into Yale, but for the purposes of this story, we'll say I got into Yale.

CE:  On a full scholarship, if I remember correctly.

OM: Yeah, so I was like, "Mom, I believe Harvard Med wanted me to come in, it was a straight offer", and she said, "Really?  I didn't think they did that..."

CE:  But, no: you're gonna dream big.  You're staying in Oklahoma.

OM:  Yep.  You know what, (as her Mother) "We're Asian, and we're going to make you feel terrible about not getting yourself into med school."

CE: Wait a minute.  I didn't think that Asians were allowed in Oklahoma.  I've been to Oklahoma, and I've never seen an Asian in Oklahoma.  I thought there was a very strict policy against that up there.

OM: Which is why I worked very hard to combat that.  I only drive Asian cars-- Toyotas, Hondas-- because (as you know) Asians only drive Volkswagons, BMW's.  It's that thing where, as Asians, we drive really expensive cars, but we live in really small homes with everyone packed in 'em.  But really expensive cars.

CE:  Huh.  Well, I'm learning something, because the entirety of my knowledge about Asian culture comes from Better Luck Tomorrow.

OM: (Laughs) Ah, well, I can have my mom give you, like, a daily reminder on what it's like to be Asian.

CE:  Ugh.  That makes me think of Margaret Cho's sitcom.  Remember that thing?  That's not good to remember.

OM: My family's more like My Big, Fat Greek Wedding meets Shawshank Redemption.

CE:  Oh, God.

OM:  Yeah, my family's nothing like Margaret Cho's.

CE:  What's interesting, though, is that both Margaret Cho's sitcom and Shawshank Redemption have the same amount of prison rape.

OM: (Laughs) But it wasn't actually in Margaret Cho's show.  It was just what was happening, y'know--

CE:  --to the audience watching.

OM: Right.  One was the show, the other is the cause of the show.

CE: (Laughs) I watched your segment on The Daily Show last night, and-- first of all-- it was really funny.  And congratulations on landing that spot.

OM:  That means a lot.  When I can hear that from other people, it's just...With The Daily Show, I was up here for the upfronts a couple weeks ago and Jon Stewart was there, and he'd seen my stuff online and he was like, "I think Olivia should be on the show".  And then, next thing you know, I was on the show.  I was literally like...I was just standing there thinking that I'd been picked by the hand of God.  That's not an exaggeration at all.  When I found out, I just wanted to throw up.  It was amazing.

CE:  When they came to you with the idea, were you immediately like, "Yes!", or did you hesitate at all?

OM:  Immediate yes.  It was: "Jon Stewart has seen some of your stuff and he wants to meet with you."  It was an immediate, "OK, yes, when?"  It just happened that I was in New York for the upfronts, and so they just said, "Well, come in tomorrow".

CE:  I know it would be the obvious choice, but it also seems like it'd be a lot of pressure.

OM:  It is a lot of pressure.  And, you know, my NBC show just got picked up so...he was like, "Now, usually people come here, then they leave, then they get their own show.  But you've already got the show and we're asking you to come here".  Are you f-cking kidding me? If NBC can work it out and allow me to do both, I see no reason why I should need to sleep.  I mean, sleep's overrated.

CE:  Well, that was going to be one of my questions: How are you going to manage doing both, if that's where this is headed? Perfect Couples starts this fall on NBC, right?

OM:  Yeah, first week of August.  I think it'll work.  (Perfect Couples) is a single-camera show.  We shoot three weeks on, one week off, and as long as NBC can work out the schedule, the guys at The Daily Show said they'll be able to work it out.  There's always green-screen and satellites and all that...they can figure it out.  I said to Jon on my first day, "This is a dream that I didn't even think I was allowed to dream".  To be able to get The Daily Show and have an NBC show?  I want to go back to the ten year old me and say, "Dude, stop crying.  It's all going to be good.  At least for one week, it's all going to be good."

CE:  You're answering my questions before I can ask them, actually, and--

OM:  Well, I'm answering them from the future.

CE:  That's a first.  Enormously impressive.  Your career's really taken an abrupt upward trajectory over the past year, and you're all over the place.  Do you fear that you might be spreading yourself too thin with all these appearances and gigs, or do you think it's all good?  I mean, how do you feel about everything that's happened?

OM: When it comes to spreading myself too thin, when it comes to my energy, I'm finding that I'm needing to lean on people a lot more than I'm used to or like to do.  I can't keep up with my emails anymore, I had to bring an assistant into my life-- and that was hard for me.  I like to do everything on my own, y'know?  I like to be private.  But I think when you actually reach out and you have really great people around you, it really makes things a lot easier.  And then I'm able to do it all. 

CE:  Right.

OM:  Also, when you're doing something you love, I mean...when I heard the (Opening Credits) music come on when I was doing The Daily Show, I was like, "Oh. My God."  And before the show, Jon Stewart comes out and he talks to the crowd, and before the show I heard him telling everyone that it was a historic night because they were bringing on (their fifth female correspondent), and everyone got excited and started clapping and was wondering, "Who is it?", ya know?  They get to be there for it!  But then my anxiety kicked in, like they were gonna be like, "Olivia Munn?  What?!  Boooo!"

CE: (Laughing)

OM: Like, "Where did you guys get rotten fruit?  Stop!"  But when the applause came in, I felt so much better.  I saw guys, like, jumping out of their seats and clapping for me!  It was such a great feeling.  And when you're doing these kinda things, I don't get very tired.  It's really exciting.  And with both Perfect Couples and The Daily Show, you can see how much fun we're all having with it.  That's the energy that everyone has there (at The Daily Show).  There's not a single person I've met there that I wouldn't want to have over to my house, or to go out to lunch with. 

CE: Yeah.

OM:  But on the other side of that "spreading myself too thin" thing, there's that thing of, "Am I overexposed?" That's a concern of mine. Cause, y'know, what the f-ck do I have to say?  Are people like, "Really?!" But I'm so thankful, and I just wanna work.  I wanna bust my ass and just work.  And I want people to know me for my work, and I'm so thankful for the opportunities that I'm getting.  Jon Stewart saw my work and decided he wanted me on his show, and it wasn't because of some guy I was dating.  And I got Perfect Couples because the lead creators wrote the part with me in mind, because they'd seen my stuff and liked it, too. 

So, when I talk to my publicist about interviews-- like, when I talked to her today about the interviews I've been doing-- I told her...and this pertains to you, my friend...I told her, "I only want to do the ones that we can't miss".  I want to get out there, but at the same time I don't want to be overexposed.  I'm sick of hearing about myself by now.  I do get that concern, and I vocalize it, and-- at the end of the day-- I get anxiety about it, just talking all the time about my life and how I got here...

CE:  Well, so many people struggle for however many years to get somewhere in the industry.  Some of 'em never get anywhere.  So, if you're getting all these offers, why not take 'em?  As long as you feel like you're doing the best work you can and they're good projects, why not? You're doing what you always wanted to do; f-ck "overexposure".

OM: But it's "overexposure" based entirely on publicity, not when it comes to work.  With work, I'm only taking...well, I'm always very aware of my next step, and what it's going to be.  Not that long ago, I was busting my ass in commercial auditions.  Like, "How did that Ross: Dress For Less audition go?  Did I get it?  No?!  How about that Jordache campaign?"

CE: (Laughs)

OM:  Literally, I was dying for those moments.  And now, here I am.  My first pilot season, and I had to pick between five projects.  I thought to myself, "I have to say 'no' to four network projects?"  Like, how is that possible?"  How am I supposed to make that decision?  So, when I made the decision, I just wanted to make sure I picked the right one.  I know how it works: people like to build you up, and then they like to watch you fall.  That may not be true, but that's how I feel.  And it helps me make good choices in my life, and to be appreciative.  I've known people, friends in this business that had everything they wanted and then it all went away.  It can be so arbitrary, and I'm very much aware of it.  It's not wasted on me how special this moment is.  When I left (The Daily Show) earlier today, I said to Jon-- I mean, Mr. Stewart-- what am I thinking?  God, if he heard me...

CE:  Actually, he's here right now, and he's really p-ssed.

OM:  Oh, my God, I'm off the show now, right?

CE:  I don't know, he just stormed out.  I don't know what he's thinking.

OM: Oh, no.  Well, I said to Jon, "Honestly, thank you so much.  Thank you, thank you, thank you."  And he said, "Everyone's really happy with the show.  You got it!"  He was really happy with the show.  I'm still reeling from it.  It's not wasted on me at all, how lucky I am to be here.  And it just shows that...look, I just don't believe it when people are like, "Well, if you can dream it, it's possible".  I don't believe that anything is possible.  Not everyone can be an NFL player.  I do believe, with all my heart, that if you have the combination of busting your ass, cultivating your talents, and if all the stars align at the same time-- that's what it takes.  If you can do the two things and then the stars align-- then it works out.

CE:  I agree.  The likelihood of getting picked out of a crowd somewhere is slim to none, but you can create your own luck by working hard, putting yourself in the right position to find what you're looking for.

At this point in the interview, Olivia had to excuse herself and promised to call me back in a few minutes.  I decided to take the opportunity to transcribe what'd already been said, and this proved more difficult thatn I'd presumed: Olivia Munn, I discovered, talks roughly at the same rate as the speed of light.  While tanscribing this, it almost seemed as though words were intertwining with one another and creating all new, previously unimagined sentences.  Then I realized I'd been drinking Absinthe since 7AM, and this whole "unimagined sentences" thing was very likely a product of that. 

As promised, Ms. Munn (can I call ya Olivia?) got back to me shortly thereafter.  We rejoin the conversation about two minutes after I should've hit the "Record" button.  Very basically, I asked her about her role in Iron Man 2, which was originally shrouded in secrecy and the source for much debate amongst film geeks and comic nerds, all of whom had their own ideas about what superhero Olivia might be playing.  As it turned out, they were all wrong-- Olivia Munn plays a reporter in Iron Man 2-- but I asked her if she'd be interested in playing a superhero at some point in the future.  She said, "Of course", and then we went from there...

OM: ...I've taken 12 karate classes, because I think it's always important to prepare for when that moment finally comes.  And, finally, I'm working on building my own Iron Man suit, just in case.

CE:  (Laughing) In case of what?  In case you have to fight terrorists?

OM:  Well, any time I'm like, "Oh, sh-t, someone's down, Samuel L. Jackson can't make it, who are we gonna get?  Oh, we got O. Munn, she's available".  There ya go.  I've also been doing jujitsu and tai-chi.

CE:  You also know how to pronounce "karate" correctly.

OM:  Well, I'm Asian.  I think everyone knows it's kar-a-tay.

CE:  That's true.  Well, one of your most famous-- or, rather, infamous-- bits on Attack of The Show fearured you jumping into a giant pie while wearing a french maid's outfit.

OM: Uh-huh.

CE:  You seemed like you were game for just about anything on that show, but was there anything that they ever wanted to do there that you weren't up for?  Something you flat-out said "No" to?

OM:  They wanted to handcuff old people to a fence, and then have us yell and berate them for being old.  I was like, "Mmmyeah, even in a pinch I can't find that funny, guys.  Sorry."  So, I couldn't do that...

CE:  What the--

OM:  Yeah.  I really have to say, though, I can't think of a single other thing that I said "No" to.  But now, I realize that every little thing I'd do, people would make .gif's out of it, so...you know, if I jump into a pie as a french maid, it exists on the internet forever, and so I started editing a little bit.  I will do this, I won't do that.  But other than handcuffing the old people to a fence, I did it all. 

CE: That's the...I don't even know what to...I don't...that's the most random thing I've heard in a long time.

OM: (Laughs)

CE:  What's the creepiest encounter you've ever had with a fan?  I'm sure it happens a lot.

OM:  You know, every interview I ever do, someone asks that question, and they always say, "Because I'm sure it happens all the time" afterwards, but I gotta say...I've wracked my brain, and there just hasn't been anything that creepy...but I will tell you one thing, and you'll be the first to hear it, because it happened recently: I'm encountering fans that are somehow getting my phone number.  I was with T-Mobile, and when I signed up for it, it was signed up under my name.  So, I started getting phone calls.  And not like prank-calls, but people calling saying they were from T-Mobile and wanted to see if I was satisfied with my service.

CE: (Laughs)

OM: Like, "This is Stanley calling from T-Mobile.  We're just calling to check on your service.  Is this...uh...Olivia Munn?"  And I'm like, "Uh, yeah".  "Oh, well, do you have any questions for us?"  And it started happening all the time.  So, I'm thinking to myself, what did you think was going to happen?  You violate my privacy, go into your system and get my number, and then you call me-- and what?  What do you think's gonna happen?  "OK, we got her number, we're gonna call her up, and then we'll..."  And then what?  Like I'm going to say, "Oh, wow, you guys want to get together and have a threesome?"  Like, they think I'm really cool, so that might happen.  No, what's going to happen is, I'm going to call T-Mobile, then my lawyers are going to call T-Mobile, and we're going to say that if it ever f-cking happens again, you guys are f-cked.  That's not cool.  I will do meet-ups-- I was in Austin playing Red Rover, and you missed it, my friend-- and I'll go see a movie and buy popcorn for everyone that's in the group...but it's not OK to call me. 

CE:  That definitely qualifies as creepy. 

(UPDATE: Here's part two, if you wanna just keep on keepin' on reading)

There's a lot, lot more from this interview, folks, but in the interest of getting some of it out and into the ether, I'm going to cut it off here and run a "Part Two" tomorrow.  This is literally the half-way point, so take your time pouring over the sweet, sweet words that we've laid down for you here, and hit the "Subscribe" button up top if you're worried about missing the post of "Part Two" tomorrow.  Special thanks go out to Comedy Central for setting this interview up, and extra special thanks to Olivia Munn, who turned out to be the coolest person that I've interviewed in a long time.  While you're waiting on part two, be sure to stop by one of these other recent Comedy Examiner articles:

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(photos: top--myspace.com, leia--essentialstyleformen.com, chunli--lyalkng.com, licking--actionflickchick.com, alanthicke--tmz.com, stuff--gamespot.com)