The standup comedian Hannah Gadsby, 45, returned back on Netflix for their 3rd comedy show Something Special, 75 minutes long special dropped on May 9 which discussed every from their marriage to producer Jenney Shamash to their autism diagnosis and self-growth. Filmed at the Sydney Opera House, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedian also recounts hilarious tales about their upbringing, awkward encounters with celebrities, their beloved pets and even how they ended up with a unique shark cake for their wedding.
Gabsby's Breaking The Stigma
Gadsby speaks about their new special, the importance of breaking the stigma around autism and why they hope viewers walk away feeling like they received "a hug."
Inspiration Behind Standup Comedy
Well, I go to my life where I make lots of mistakes and embarrassment. It's an embarrassment of riches. I leave a trail of comedy in my wake. It's not comedy necessarily in the moment, but that's part of what I do is repackaging my woes. In the past, I haven't repackaged it. I said, "Here's my woe, ha, ha." But this is repackaging it and it's more lighthearted. But I always begin with a story that I know is funny and then build out from there.
Show & Life Experience
Well, it's a fairly authentic show. I'm being exactly who I want to be and who I am. I feel like I'm in that moment. But doing a show that is positive is not as easy as you'd imagine. It is much easier to be miserable. So, this really did push my skills to their limit to create a show that is not smug, that is relatable, but also sharing a real sense of joy.
Fan's Spectrum
I don't interact a great deal with my fans. I am on the spectrum and I find that overwhelming. But I do love my fan base. They're very respectful and I do get a lot of feedback, particularly from people on the spectrum. And that feels great for me because I don't think there's a lot of people on the spectrum being autistic, talking about being autistic, and it's kind of new territory. So, I really like that I'm able to offer a bit of solace around the traps.
Autism and Stigma
I feel like there's perhaps quite a few comedians who are on the spectrum, perhaps undiagnosed. Strangely enough, comedy is suited to a mind like mine. You sort of sit on the outside for most of your life, so you are watching, you're observing, and you're learning from neurotypical people. That's ultimately the difficulty of being autistic is you are always trying to learn how to be neurotypical, but neurotypical people are never trying to learn how to be atypical. It's a fairly rigid compromise. So, speaking about it and taking away the stigma... if you've met one person on the spectrum, you've met [just] one person on the spectrum. It is such a diverse community and we are really only just finding our voice as a community. And I think it's an important time to speak freely and honestly about your experience.
Autism VS Daily Life and Career
Yeah, it certainly helped with clarity and understanding what I can and cannot do and what exhausts me. There's so much in the world that can exhaust me and there's not much that can revive me. So, I need lots of rest. I can do this [interview], for example... But tomorrow, and perhaps the next day is going to be a difficult day for me. I get overstimulated. Success also helps to protect my time and energy, but I have to be very conscious about it.
Marital Life
Look, our life, as it stands, didn't change. But we really loved getting married and sharing that [with others]. I was really thrown by how happy people were for me. It was like, "Oh, that's what this is about? Well, that's nice." But ultimately a marriage is just jewelry and paperwork. The relationship is just a day-to-day little dance.
Favorite Ways to Recharge
The only way I can really sensibly do that is at home in a familiar environment with my dogs. And so, that's ultimately what I try and do as often as I can.
Writers Guild
I believe writers should be supported better. Storytelling is the bedrock of this industry. It's no-brainer to me that we should look after the people who set the tone.
Messy Human
Look, I don't necessarily feel the pressure, but I certainly take it as a responsibility. It feels like the more power you have, the more responsibility you should wield. Accountability is very important. Of course, I'm a messy human like the next one. So, mistakes will be made, but I think it is actually important to step up. Particularly if you experience success, then you are getting accommodations that other people aren't getting. So, it feels only the right thing to do is to be better than you are terrible.
Message for Fans
I just want them to have a good time. I want them to feel — particularly people from my community, like the queer, autistic, and there's a lot of us — to feel less anxious than when they began [watching the special]. It's written to be a hug.
Hannah Gadsby: Something Special is now streaming on Netflix.
