The questionnaire Nic Sampson

He has become a familiar face on television performing on Jono And Ben and Funny Girls (he’s also a writer for both shows) and for his appearances on panel shows 7 Days and Word Up. Sampson has also appeared in numerous TV and movie roles including Power Rangers, The Brokenwood Mysteries, Emperor, Step Dave, Flat3, and Go Girls. In 2014 he was Best Newcomer in the Comedy Festival for his first-ever stand-up show Replaced By A Dog. Sampson performs in PERPLEX at Herald Theatre, Auckland, until December 3.

What are you plugging right now?

I would like to plug the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Give this phone a chance would ya? There is every likelihood it won’t explode. Failing that I would like to plug Silo Theatre’s end-of-year show Perplex. It’s a comedy starring Natalie Medlock, Kura Forrester, Sam Snedden and myself and it’s an absolute head trip with character swapping, reality bending and weird sex. It’s also very very funny.

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

I’m pretty easy to please. I guess my idea of perfect happiness would be a delicious meal in a house that I own surrounded by my closest friends and family, secure in the knowledge that all my short and long-term life goals have been accomplished and having just received a call from the doctor to congratulate me on my outstanding health and oh wow look who just turned up it’s my good friend, Chris Evans, and he’s brought a Streets Viennetta for everyone!

Which living person do you most admire?

In terms of people in the arts I think maybe Sam Neill. He has been in so many of my favourite things, and is an absolute legend but you also get a strong sense of him being a really good person too. And he makes his own wine.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

I was in Palmy a few years ago rehearsing a play and I got really into eating apples. It got to the point where I would eat about 15 a day and for a few days I accidentally kinda ate nothing else. Just before the first show I collapsed on stage. The producer tried to take me to the doctor but everyone was full up (Palmy had swine flu at the time). Eventually we went to a pharmacy and when I told them how many apples I’d been eating they were like ‘‘for god sake you idiot eat a burger’’. I will never eat any fruit ever again.

Ever stolen anything?

I stole a Rolo at a Ryan Adams concert. I was drunk and I regret it to this day, though you really can’t deny how good a stolen Rolo tastes.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I hate how it’s always backwards in the mirror. Just once I would like to see myself the right way round.

Which living person do you most despise and why?

I keep thinking about Billy Bush’s horrible sycophantic giggling in that Trump bus video, how desperate he was to appear cool to the worst guy ever.

What life lesson would you pass on to your children?

Having a house feels better than smashed avocado tastes. – Mike Alexander