Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Never Been Kissed’s Nicole Burch

Comedian-actress Nicole Burch hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to dating, and it’s given her plenty of material for her stand-up. But, when she meets Michael Vartan, her childhood crush and leading man of her favorite film Never Been Kissed, what could go wrong? Luckily for us, she’s released a special where she tells us just what happened!

Pop Culturalist caught up with Nicole to chat about her career and her new special, Never Been Kissed.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for comedy?
Nicole: I come from a long line of funny people. As a kid, everyone was always trying to make my grandfather, a stern and serious man, laugh. When I was six, I did something and he doubled over laughing, and that feeling prompted me to always try and get a laugh.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Nicole: I grew up watching I Love Lucy reruns, Carol Burnett, and The Golden Girls. So, I never had any doubt that women could be funny. As far as stand-up, I loved Joan Rivers. I also appreciate how she never apologized for a joke.

PC: You’ve been a part of the comedy world for over a decade. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Nicole: Writing Lab at The Groundlings Theatre! I was performing a monologue based on my mother. This was a level that if you didn’t do well, you would be cut from the program, so a lot was riding on it, but it hadn’t clicked in for me yet, and I was surely going to crash and burn. Seconds before I was to go on stage, my director, Annie Sertich, yelled at me to not “play” my mother, but to “be” my mother and to leave it all out on the stage. Somehow, that lit a fire under me, and the rest was a blur. I gave it everything and crushed it and moved to the next level. There is no doubt in my mind that if that pep talk hadn’t resonated with me, I would have ended my sketch career that day. It was also a lesson in how important it is to put everything out there and be authentic.

PC: You were writing and doing sketch comedy before beginning your stand-up career. What has that transition been like?
Nicole: Both sketch and stand-up are similar in the sense that they are both based on observation. For me, sketch is easier because I can lose myself in a character, while stand-up is more personal. If no one laughs at my stand-up, it feels more intense. That said, I love observing and talking about things I see and after writing with The Groundlings for six years, it was fairly easy to just strip the characters and wigs away and just talk to an audience, however it also feels riskier.

Never Been Kissed

PC: Tell us about your first stand-up special, Never Been Kissed. What can fans expect?
Nicole: Imagine your celebrity crush from when you were a kid. Now fast forward twenty years and you run into them at a party. Not only do you two chat it up, you hit it off and go on a date! But then, everything that could go wrong went wrong. This is the hilarious story of how that went down.

PC: This story was originally only a short part of your set. When did you realize it could be the focal point of your comedy special?
Nicole: My director, Corey Craig, had seen some of my stand-up before and wasn’t sure if I had enough for a special. Then, one night he came to a set where I told an eight-minute version this story. The audience was on the edge of their seats and Corey was feverishly taking notes on his phone about two minutes into the story. People kept coming up to us afterward asking what happened next and when will I be able to tell the whole story. That was the night we knew we had something.

PC: With the comedy special out now, what’s next for you?
Nicole: Currently, I’m back to writing. I have a screenplay and pilot that both need another pass, but I am currently working on my next special about single motherhood and raising a daughter with a platonic best friend. It’s a unique story but is also relatable to anyone who has kids or is going to have kids.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Nicole: Dateline and 48 Hours Mystery—any murder mystery.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Nicole: Anything by Nancy Meyers…specifically Something’s Got to Give.

PC: Favorite book?
Nicole: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Nicole: So, I dated a guy who had written a parody song about the time he dated a girl who left him for another woman. Not only is it well written and funny, but he could actually carry a tune, and even though it was basically recorded on a phone, I still listen to it way too much.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Nicole: My best friend, Corey Clifford. She has played me several times in plays and sketches I’ve written. She’s a few years younger than me and looks like she could be my sister, but I always say her face is more likable. She has big Disney princess eyes that get away with more than I ever could on film or stage.

To keep up with Nicole, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Never Been Kissed today.