Comedian Hannah Gadsby
found success with her Netflix special “Nanette,” but is she leaving comedy for good?
For an artist who is wowing audiences with her eloquence, Hannah Gadsby finds herself at a loss for words when talking about the reaction to her Netflix special, “Nanette.”
“It’s a bit much,” she admits with a laugh. “I’ve had to go into hiding.”
The show, named after a judgmental barista the self-described “butch” lesbian Gadsby encountered, hit Netflix in late June. It became an instant viral sensation, prompting praise on social media from everyone from Jon Favreau to Kathy Griffin to Roxanne Gay. Startlingly frank and personal, it blends stand-up with art history and incisive commentary on the very nature of what comedy is. It also features the Tasmania native declaring she is quitting comedy, something her legions of new fans are sure to take issue with.
The special hit while Gadsby was still in New York, touring with the show, and she admits she could feel an immediate change. “To get recognized in New York is weird because that’s definitely a place you shouldn’t be recognized,” she notes. “I don’t quite know what to make of it.”
The show will flow one more time at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, where she’ll perform July 26.
The following is an edited transcript of the conversation.
Q: The response to your show has been so overwhelming; could you ever have anticipated such an impact?
A: No. No. And what I couldn’t have anticipated is twofold. First, it seems incredible that such a difficult subject matter would get a wide reception. Secondly, being the person I am, I don’t dream like that. I always kept my expectations in life very tame. Someone asked me the other day if I’ve pinched myself, and I said, ‘No, I’m too scared to. Because if I really did wake up and this was all a dream ... what (a jerk)!’ ”
Q: Now you’re on a worldwide platform like Netflix — how does that change things?
A: It means that I don’t have to keep doing it, which is an enormous relief. But it’s staggering. In a room, I’m there, and it’s hard for people to resist in the moment. It’s hard to be disrespectful when you’re in the same space as a person. But now I’m in people’s private spaces and homes and breaking the contract essentially of what standup comedy should be — light entertainment. So I am astounded and grateful.
Q: Why do you think it has resonated so much?
A: It’s hard for me to know because so much of myself is poured into this, and I have been living it for the last 18 months. I think it’s going to take some time for me to understand. I think it may have something to do with being so honest and vulnerable and taking risks. And it’s bigger than me.
Q: Everyone wants to know: Are you really quitting comedy? It seems bittersweet that you would perform a show about leaving comedy and find so much success with it.
A: I don’t think I would have found the success if I hadn’t taken my place in the world apart. So in order to find this success, I really did need to declare I was quitting comedy and mean it. But you know, everyone’s allowed to change their mind.
Q: Your show is named after a barista who made you uncomfortable and you thought you might build a whole show around, then realized you couldn’t. Do you know whatever became of the real Nanette?
A: It’s interesting, because in the live show I talk about her, but in the film version, it was cut for time. I’ve never seen her since. I assume she’s still kicking about somewhere. She was just an older lady who I would normally love to talk to, but because of what I represented, we didn’t.