Words by Carol Wright |Photos courtesy of mw-pr
We got to chat with comedian and actor Mark Ricci who has his own comedy special on Amazon Prime. You can check it out here.
When did you first become interested in comedy?
I believe people that get into comedy really just start because they like the sound of laughter. Getting a positive, visceral reaction from people is a rewarding feeling. Once I realized that I was able to bring that out of people is when I think I fell in love with it. That happened at a very young age for me. Sometimes I was just trying to entertain myself. If you came to my family’s house, you would see me dress up in my favorite costumes and jump around like an over-hyper monkey. If I came to your house, I would look around for objects lying around and use them as props. Blankets became capes and shoehorns became walking sticks.
What usually inspires your material?
I write it myself. When I’m out at the grocery store or the mall, I’ll get an idea sometimes of a funny premise, and I’ll immediately write it down in my phone so I don’t forget it. I usually focus on personal experiences, but sometimes, it just so happens that my personal experiences and stories stem from modern-day issues, like online dating. So in those cases, I get to kill two birds with one stone (Figure of speech, I’m not an animal abuser) and comment on current social issues.
Where did the idea for Mark Ricci: The Teenage Special come from? How did it feel to have it be picked up by Amazon?
The idea was born on the day of my 19th birthday. I realized I had one year left of being a teenager, and that I had the chance to do something that no one had done before. That prospect was extremely intriguing. So, the fact that it made its way to one of the top streaming services is so gratifying and proves to me that anything is possible.
You also play Peter Parker on Six Side Studios’ “Spider-Man (Fan film)” YouTube series. Is it fun to take on a whole new persona through being Peter Parker?
It’s great. Luckily I’ve loved the character my whole life, so I was a huge fan. We have a community of fans who also love the character and are eager for our next installment. I have my favorite villains and my favorite storylines, so it’s been great to check them off as we’ve gone along. My favorite villain for years was Kraven the Hunter and we got to bring him into our last installment, Rise of a Legacy. Next, we’re introducing another one of my favorite villains, Venom!
Who are some comedians you look up to?
Some of my favorites are Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams. For some reason, I happen to really enjoy the era of comedy where comedians would wear these bold outfits (sometimes leather) that they were probably sweating buckets under.
What advice do you have for aspiring comedians?
I almost feel too young in my own career to give valuable advice, but what I would say, from what I’ve learned so far, is that you have to just keep playing the game. No one’s ever won the game by forfeit. You might still lose the game in the end, but you’ll never know until the game is over. So keep playing.