Comedy: Ali Cook Q&A
Actor, magician and comedian Ali Cook is coming to town with a brand new magic show. Victoria Nangle has a word
What’s the best thing about devising an entirely new show of awe-inspiring tricks?
“The best thing is I get to delve into loads of obscure and ancient magic books while I’m researching and apparently that’s work…”
What’s the best reaction you’ve ever seen to one of your tricks?
“Someone once fainted. Not sure if it was because of the trick or that I’d forgotten to put on deodorant.”
Congratulations on your flurry of film roles. 2014 is going to be a big year for you with both Noel Clarke’s The Anomaly and acting alongside Matthew Macfayden in Epic. How did you move from magic to acting?
“This is a strange one because for me I’ve always been an actor – I’m acting the part of a magician –it’s just now I do acting in different roles. Jerry Sadowitz gave me my first break on his TV sketch show The Jerry @trick Show. I decided to do some training at The Second City in LA and just started auditioning for anything that came along. Somehow one job leads to another as you meet more people and I’ve been really lucky to have found the roles I have so far.”
Do you take a breather between working on a film set to touring a magical show around the country? They seem very different; one communal and the other very solo.
“No, you can’t take breathers, you just have to work when the job comes up. So last week I was shooting two feature films at once and had to disappear up to Edinburgh to perform my live show inbetween. I absolutely love magic but you’re right to say it’s very solitary. I’m really enjoying being on a big film set and being surrounded by a whole team of people. When you perform solo the pressure is on you to create something with your audience but what’s different about film is that you’re creating something with your scene partners and so the pressure is shared out which can make the whole process a lot more enjoyable.”
Why should people come and see live magic shows in the days of CGI and 3D films?
“Visually, nothing can compare to CGI effects but as an audience we know it’s digital wizardry. When you see a live illusion performed in front of you and you have no idea how it could possibly be done that’s no longer just entertainment but hopefully a genuine feeling of amazement.”
Ali Cook – Principles & Deceptions, Komedia, Thursday 26 September 2013, 8pm, £12/10
