Standup comedian and actress Sarah Silverman is promoting the third season of The Sarah Silverman Program, which resumed Feb. 4. and airs on Comedy Central. | Courtesy of Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman is the sort of woman who will own up to the most buried kind of embarrassing secret from childhood, such as wetting the bed until she was 15, and be proud of it.
On a recent conference call with college newspapers around the country to promote the third season of The Sarah Silverman Program, Silverman spoke of subjects ranging from her age to what it means to her to be a female comic, occasionally slipping in plugs for the show.
Known for intentionally taking on controversial issues ranging from abortion to racism, Silverman pushes down firmly on shock-value buttons, less to uselessly be vulgar but more as a social commentary.
When asked if (character) Sarah and Sarah in real life are the same person, she said, “We talk alike and we look the same, but I hope not, because my character is an asshole. I think of her as an arrogant ignorant.”
Writing for the show usually starts in Silverman’s apartment because there isn’t enough office space. This season, Silverman said, hopes to be aggressively stupid.
“I’m always surprised on the age range of kids who watch the show,” Silverman said about her audience. “There are little kids that love it and understand it on one level, then there are college kids and adults that get it all around.”
To stay fresh, Silverman continues to do standup.
“I don’t want to be not funny, so I hang out with younger comics a lot more than people my age or older who make me feel so old. You have to be around new stuff. That’s why comics get not funny anymore, because they stay in their homes and don’t go out. That’s why I stay around guys like you guys,” she said, referring to college students.
Even though she turns 40 next year, she doesn’t feel any different.
“It’s weird because I always thought of 40 as super old. But, like, I don’t feel like wearing old-people clothes or getting my hair cut into a short, feathered mom-cut. I still feel like myself. I’m the youngest I’m ever going to be. I’m not going to look back at this now and think I’m old.”
In a male-dominated entertainment field, Silverman is frank about transcending the exceptional female comic role.
“I’ve only been a woman comic. The struggles’ are a dime a dozen,” Silverman said. “It’s not something to get hung up on or worth turning into someone with a chip on their shoulder about things not being fair. You’re responsible for your own happiness and success.
“Whether you watch it online, on your computer or DVR, at least turn your TV on or we’ll get cancelled. Even when you love something, there comes a time when people want to try something new, change happens all the time, and when it does, it’s very important that you be brave.”
