Former Saturday Night Live Member Victoria Jackson, Talks Past and Present

Former Saturday Night Live member, Victoria Jackson, takes time out to talk about the past, present and future. The bubbly blonde that everyone loved on SNL continues to thrive off the ditzy, blonde stereotype by continuing to use it in her act. Whether it be getting involved with TV or movies, doing stand-up comedy or just simply being a Christian wife to her husband, Victoria Jackson is still keeping it real.

Jackson's most recent project was being a part of Thou Shalt Laugh The Deuce. The DVD features four other Christian comedians performing live stand-up comedy. The program is hosted by an Emmy Award winning comedian and actor, Tim Conway. It's good, clean fun at its best and absolutely hilarious; now let's hear from one of the stars of the program, Victoria Jackson.

JR: I'm dying to know what it was like working with comedy legend, Tim Conway?

Ohh, I was so excited because when I was young he was a big star. We didn't have a TV, but when I went to my grandmother's house we'd watch him on Carol Burnett. That little man thing when he shuffles with his feet, my family and I have been emulating that for many years. I was really excited, so I took a picture with him and that's when his daughter told me I was her favorite. I was like WHOA! Tim Conway's daughter knows I'm alive! It was exciting, it was very sweet and humble and funny.

JR:Have you ever worked with any of the other comedians on the DVD?

I've done a couple of jobs with them and they're really good, yep.

JR: Being a devout Christian, growing up in Christian background without a TV, it's kind of funny you wound up being on television involved with acting and comedy. Wondering how that exactly came about?

Wow, well that's a hard question. I guess when I was in college, I did my first play and I got the acting bug. I sort of stumbled into it and a friend of mine was auditioning for something and I went with her. It was in Greenville, South Carolina and I guess that's where I got the bug because I made the audience laugh with my feather-duster. I was shocked, I thought wow what a powerful feeling and I've been hooked on it ever since. My dad was a gymnastics coach who was always putting on shows with his little gymnasts, so it is kind of in my blood.

JR: Speaking of your famous bit on SNL, where you would do handstands and recite poetry, how did the poetry aspect of that come about?

Well, I probably stole that idea from Laugh In when Henry Gibson used to do those poems with Nipsey Russell. TV is very powerful, so the little bit I did see I just stole it. Tiny Tim played the ukulele, so my mom got me a ukulele for Christmas when I was 10. It's really easy to play, so I've been playing that ever since in my act.

JR: I just thought it was funny though that you grew up without a TV, but then here you are big in movies, shows, and SNL of course. It's Funny how things work out I guess, right?

It's ironic, but maybe I did it to get even with my dad. No, seriously I think he probably would have wanted to be on TV because he's kind of a show-business guy. So, I'm doing what he probably wanted to do.

JR: I saw that you were on the cast of Saturday Night Live from'86-'92 and I wanted to ask how they came about picking you to join the show in '86?

Well, I think the producers probably saw me on Johnny Carson because I was on there a lot in the 80s. They gave me an audition and they paid for my flight to New York to audition. So, the short version of the story is that's how I got on it.

JR: Boy, I bet that was a great feeling?

It was very exciting and scary at the same time.

JR: Being on SNL for so long, I was wondering if there were any comedians on the show you really enjoyed working with the most?

Well, the people that I got along with the best were Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz and Kevin Nealon.

JR: I know that used to do a lot of celebrity impersonations on SNL and I have to say one of my all-time favorites was of Roseanne Barr, what are your thoughts on that?

Yeah, they never let me do any and one day I said to the head writer why don't I ever get to do any and he said well you're nasal. I said, well isn't there some celebrity that's nasal and he goes actually Roseanne Barr is. And I said, "Doesn't shee taallk likkee thhat", so he wrote me that part and I was so excited. And after that I did many more celebrity impersonations and enjoyed all of them.

JR: Going into your movie career, thought I'd talk about one your earlier roles in Baby Boom, what was it like getting involved with movies?

It was really fun for me because it's really hard to get in movies, so I was really excited about it.

JR: Well, thank you for your time, do you have anything else to add?

Noo, I get tired of talking about myself all the time. With this DVD out, they want me to do all these interviews you know and I'm like: I'M SOOO TIRED OF TALKING ABOUT MYSELF! lol And they're like will you please do another one and I'm like OOOKAY, lol.

By Jimmy Rae