Interview with Comedian Nataly Aukar
Interview with Comedian Nataly Aukar
Nataly Aukar is more than a war refugee. She’s a Lebanese comedian & writer who found her voice when she relocated to New York to pursue her stand-up career. Performing at open mic clubs & traveling around the world, she got attention from other comedians/actors & landing a spot for Netflix is a Joke Festival. Now Nataly is embarking her own headline comedy tour & she’s making a stop in San Francisco. Read my full interview here!
Jisselle: Hey Nataly Aukar, nice to e-meet you! (I swear I’m not AI Chat GPT) I don’t want this to come off weird, but your photo looks like a young Cher in the 70s. Are you a fan of Cher by chance?
Nataly: I have NEVER heard that before but who isn’t a fan of Cher? I hope I can look like Cher does today when I’m in my 70s.
Jisselle: I know you’re a fan of actress Rachel Weisz. Actor Brendan Frasier has said he would like to reprise his role in the Mummy. Would you be interested in seeing it as long as Rachel Weisz comes back?
Nataly: I would only watch it if Rachel is in it. She’s my all-time favorite.
Jisselle: You mentioned as a kid you watched Chris Farely’s Beverly Hills Ninja. There’s going to be a biopic of him coming out. What drew you to his comedic chops?
Nataly: Wow you do your homework! I watched Beverly Hills Ninja when I was a kid after I won the cassette tape of it as a school fair (along with a copy of Anaconda lol). I lived in Lebanon and barely understood English at the time, but Farley’s comedy through body and movement cracked me up and allowed me to follow the film. I loved him cause I felt like he spoke my language. I watched that movie at least 50 times.
Jisselle: You traveled all over the world and now we get to see you do 3 shows in San Francisco at the Punchline as part of your Nataly On Some More Tour On The West Coast. SF is the only city you’re performing three nights so congrats! Clearly, the Bay Area loves you. Do you have plans to explore our city during your stay?
Nataly: I definitely do. I got a few friends in town and so I’m counting on them to drag me around so I don’t have to do my own homework (I’m lazy).
Jisselle: Can you tease on topics you’ll discuss? Would viewers hear about the recent presidential election outcome or even on your engagement?
Nataly: My comedy is very personal and mostly storytelling. I don’t know if I’ll discuss the election. I don’t have any plans to but if something comes to mind in the moment in regards to it I’ll definitely blurt it out. As for my engagement, I’ll probably mention a thing or two.
Jisselle: Not sure Nataly if you have plans for a bachelorette party, but if you can choose between David Hasselhoff or Chuck Norris as your stripper who would it be?
Nataly: If I see either of them stripping at this point in their life I’d throw a blanket over them. But I’d definitely hang with Chuck Norris. I grew up watching the French dubbed version of walker texas ranger and would tell everyone chuck norris was my husband when I was 8. I’d love to tell him all about the life I imagined for us.
Jisselle: Let’s encourage your fans to get merch because the profits go towards Lebanon relief where you’re originally from. With the ongoing issues in the country, do you feel being a comedian has given you a platform to advocate about the struggles & bring awareness?
Nataly: I like to think that it does. But I mostly feel like I’m screaming into a void. The global normalization of watching my people go through the horror they keep going through has become very difficult for me to bear. I try my best and right now I am trying to do what I can to help with trustworthy organizations on the ground that are doing the real work. So all the money from merch sales is going to go to them. I try to alternate the organizations and pick a new one for every show to cover as much ground as possible.
Jisselle: What’s the process in creating your material? I know you mentioned you share personal stories. How do you outline your set to make it within time & present it without it feeling rehearsed? Is it just with practice?
Nataly: It’s a lot of practice. A lot of trial and error to get a story to flow nicely and include punches in all the right places without leaving any information out. A long story/bit will take me a few tries to get it to a strong place. But sometimes it isn’t that complicated if the story in itself is already funny. And sometimes it never gets there and just goes to the trash!
Jisselle: Nataly, you speak 3 languages which is amazing! Any random skills you wish you had?
Nataly: I wish i had patience. That’s one thing i was never able to acquire. No matter where im at there’s a feeling of dread and impatience following me around in the back of my mind. I’d love some peace!
Jisselle: I have a poster in my room that says “music heals the soul”. How has comedy healed you?
Nataly: I have yet to find out if it has healed me. But it’s definitely helped me cope. Making people laugh, or trying to, is definitely the best avoidance route I’ve found.
Thanks Nataly for your time! You’re a TIGER (Truly Insane Great at Every Range). Pulling that from your 2022 tweet. Don’t worry I’m not a stalker like Joe Goldberg from You 😉
https://www.punchlinecomedyclub.com/EventDetail?tmeventid=G5vYZba5Iqpym&offerid=0
https://www.punchlinecomedyclub.com/EventDetail?tmeventid=G5vYZbfRoNPk8&offerid=0
https://www.natalyaukarcomedy.com/shows