Our favourite Malaysian actor / stand up comedian, Douglas Lim has never failed to entertain Malaysians with his witty jokes and humorous content. We at Sevenpie are honoured to be able to interview this legendary comedian and also to find what is his upcoming projects in the comedy industry.
Hi Douglas! Share to our readers more about yourself.
I am primarily a stand-up comedian now. I’ve been doing it professionally for about 10 years now. I am a director in 2 companies: Comedy HQ Sdn Bhd and Hilarity Ensues Sdn Bhd. I provide comedy consultation services to brands, organizations, producers etc…who want to do comedy content for Film, TV, Radio, Internet, etc…
What inspire you to become a comedian?
Nothing really inspired me to become a comedian. It was kind of a natural progression from being a comic actor, to humorous emcee and host and finally to stand-up comedian. I found that I had a natural affinity for humour and jokes. So although it’s professional work for me, I really enjoy it and that helps a lot.
Share with us your journey in becoming a top comedian in Malaysia.
Around 10 years ago, I was asked if I did stand-up comedy, I didn’t at the time. But the offer was too good to refuse. So I wrote some funny stories and observations and took the job. IT WAS DISASTROUS. The audience didn’t like me at all. But somehow, offers kept coming in. I struggled to make an impact for about 2 years doing comedy for corporate events. But at public comedy shows (ticket buying audience), I did better and caught the attention of Harith Iskander. So he showed me the ropes and I became his opening act at corporate events. Eventually I learned and practiced enough to be good and funny at these events. This led to more offers for live shows, tv and internet videos.
Share with our readers, where do you get your inspirations/content from?
A lot of my comedy is standard observational humour. I see things that are happening around us, form opinions and craft jokes about them. I pretty much write comedy content every day. Most don’t make it to the stage or TV but the best ones do. I just write and rewrite and practice. Comedy is very culturally sensitive so most of my humour is about being a Malaysian and life in this country.
Everyone has their down times, as someone who brings laughter to people, what would you usually do to overcome it?
This “down time” hits us comedians very hard because we feel like we can’t create anything funny. It’s quite depressing. I tend to just watch a lot of comedy. The internet has so much comedy content readily available now that I just watch and watch. First, to just enjoy the comedy. And then I start to analyse what the comedians was doing and his joke structure. This usually perks me up and puts me in the “funny mode” to write my own material.
As someone who plays several roles (Comedian, Actor, Writer, Singer, Musician, Composer, Producer), how do you balance up your workload?
I don’t consciously balance my work load. My “roles” depend of what job comes my way. I do my homework and seek help from fellow professional who I know can help me do the job well. If I’ve agreed to accept a job, I have to honour that and do the best work I can.
Share with us 3 random fact that the audience don’t know about you.
I really like playing computer games. I’m not a good gamer, I just enjoy playing games. Usually single player, grand strategy titles.
I’ve started exercising again. At first, it was to lose weight. But now I’ve also started strength training and long-distance running (10km lah. Not marathons).
I used to think I could levitate. I tried very hard. Failed every time. I think cannot lah.
What does an ideal getaway looks like to you?
I’m not a fan of nature and beauty. I prefer history and anthropology. So my holiday destinations are usually places like Rome, Greece, Machu Picchu, etc… Places with a lot of history and culture. I don’t mind a beautiful beach or island resort or mountain getaway but I get bored pretty quickly.
Any tips for the upcoming comedians out there on being an outstanding comedian?
Comedy is not something you can practice on your own. You can’t hide in your room and practice and become good. You have to perform it to an audience. You will suck at first. That’s normal. You just need to recover and keep going. Oh, an just THINKING of doing comedy will get you nowhere. You have to think, act, write, practice, perform, evaluate, repeat. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be an outstanding comedian but at least you will start and get better.
Any life mottos?
Don’t Die Yet. Let’s Have Fun.
