--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was very serene, and I still am, until…" description: "\"I was very serene, and I still am, until I start talking in another voice, then suddenly I have a lot of volume and I'm frantic. But I didn't want to b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/kate-mckinnon-8120_accents_i-was-very-serene-and-i-still-am-until-i_2965594.jpg" --- # I was very serene, and I still am, until I start talking… ![“I was very serene, and I still am, until I start talking in another voice, then suddenly I have a lot of volume and I'm frantic. But I didn't want to be one of those people who's always talking in accents in real life, so I started doing sketch comedy.” quote by Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/kate-mckinnon-8120_accents_i-was-very-serene-and-i-still-am-until-i_2965594.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/kate-mckinnon-8120_accents_i-was-very-serene-and-i-still-am-until-i_2965594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11e/kate-mckinnon-8120_accents_i-was-very-serene-and-i-still-am-until-i_2965594.jpg) > “I was very serene, and I still am, until I start talking in another voice, then suddenly I have a lot of volume and I'm frantic. But I didn't want to be one of those people who's always talking in accents in real life, so I started doing sketch comedy.” [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shifting personas can amplify anxiety; using comedy as an outlet for emotional intensity. **In simple terms:** Changing voice makes me frantic, so I use comedy. Key Takeaway Channel nervous energy into creative expression. Themes identity performance anxiety Mood self‑reflective humorous Type personal creative When to use this quote - stand‑up comedy - personal therapy - public speaking Key Concepts psychology creative coping Questions to Reflect On - How does performance affect your sense of self? - When does humor become a barrier? A Different Perspective Comedy may mask underlying issues without solving them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Frantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frantic/) [Frantic Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frantic-didn-3430329/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Serene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serene/) [Sketch comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketch-comedy/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Started Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-doing/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Talking Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-accents-3463416/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Voice Suddenly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice-suddenly-2322903/) [Volume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volume/) [Volume Frantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volume-frantic-4538770/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [When I did 'Frantic,' I didn't have a lot of experience. My English was so bad, and I did an OK job, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-seigner/when-i-did-frantic-i-didn-t-have-a-lot-of-experience-my-english-was/) [Emmanuelle Seigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-seigner/) > [I walk around talking to myself in accents. Usually people look at me like I'm a complete fruit loop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/i-walk-around-talking-to-myself-in-accents-usually-people-look-at-me/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [I just went home to Illinois, and I asked my family, 'Are you guys planning on talking in those accents the whole time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-leggero/i-just-went-home-to-illinois-and-i-asked-my-family-are-you-guys/) [Natasha Leggero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-leggero/) > [She is mine.' Edward’s low voice was suddenly dark, not as composed as before. 'I didn’t say I would fight fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/she-is-mine-edward-s-low-voice-was-suddenly-dark-not-as-composed-as/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I get way too sensitive when I get attached to someone. I can detect the slightest change in the tone of their voice, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-stanton/i-get-way-too-sensitive-when-i-get-attached-to-someone-i-can-detect/) [Brandon Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-stanton/) > [“You are not coming.” His voice is suddenly hard. I step away from him. “Why not?” “Because you never take your beloved gerbil to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-le-carre/you-are-not-coming-his-voice-is-suddenly-hard-i-step-away-from-him/) [Georgia Le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-le-carre/) > [But long story short, I didn't start doing stand-up because I wanted to have a TV show or be an actor or even wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/but-long-story-short-i-didn-t-start-doing-stand-up-because-i-wanted/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I wanted to be an English teacher. I wanted to do it for the corduroy jackets with patches on the side. When I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-wanted-to-be-an-english-teacher-i-wanted-to-do-it-for-the-corduroy/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [My way of dealing with not really fitting in at my very crappy New England high school and junior high was to write sketch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-fogel/my-way-of-dealing-with-not-really-fitting-in-at-my-very-crappy-new/) [Susanna Fogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-fogel/) > [I think I'm one of those guys who was sort of always in comedy. I thought of myself - and other people seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-daly/i-think-i-m-one-of-those-guys-who-was-sort-of-always-in-comedy-i/) [Andy Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-daly/) > [I wanted to come to Chicago. I also wanted to do "Saturday Night Live." And then I got to a place where I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/i-wanted-to-come-to-chicago-i-also-wanted-to-do-saturday-night-live/) [Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/) > [Animation is very similar to sketch comedy: you have a short amount of time to do something big and ridiculous and funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/animation-is-very-similar-to-sketch-comedy-you-have-a-short-amount-of/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I liked that improv and sketch comedy were collaborative, but you really depended on other people and a stage to perform. With stand-up comedy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-liked-that-improv-and-sketch-comedy-were-collaborative-but-you/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [One of the wonderful things about Portlandia - and I'm not just blowing smoke, although I can blow smoke, but I'm not - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-portlandia-and-i-m-not-just-blowing/) [Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/) > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) ## More by Kate McKinnon > [I've never had a couch that needed to be cleaned or learned how to couch-clean in general. That feels too grown-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-ve-never-had-a-couch-that-needed-to-be-cleaned-or-learned-how-to/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [You can't make the audience fall in love with a character you don't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/you-can-t-make-the-audience-fall-in-love-with-a-character-you-don-t/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [I feel like science and art are cousins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-feel-like-science-and-art-are-cousins/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [I work with some of the funniest writers in the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-work-with-some-of-the-funniest-writers-in-the-country/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [It's hard not to be the straight man when Zach Galifianakis is there. He's such a delightfully bizarre creature. Everything he does is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/it-s-hard-not-to-be-the-straight-man-when-zach-galifianakis-is-there/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [I love doing impressions of politicians because the task is always to imagine the private lives of these people whose job it is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-love-doing-impressions-of-politicians-because-the-task-is-always-to/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [Some people look at movies and think, 'Oh my gosh, that's so amazing.' But to me, I look at a politician or a scientist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/some-people-look-at-movies-and-think-oh-my-gosh-that-s-so-amazing-but/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [Everyone has some kind of light inside them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/everyone-has-some-kind-of-light-inside-them/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [I love gross kissing. I think it's the most fun thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-love-gross-kissing-i-think-it-s-the-most-fun-thing-to-do/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [It's hard to write a comedy sketch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/it-s-hard-to-write-a-comedy-sketch/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [If I had my druthers, I would be a brain in a jar, with a burlap skirt around the cart I'm on - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/if-i-had-my-druthers-i-would-be-a-brain-in-a-jar-with-a-burlap-skirt/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [Citizens, you will elect me - I will be your leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/citizens-you-will-elect-me-i-will-be-your-leader/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [It's such an insult that foul gas comes out of a hole in our butt with a sound to announce itself. It's the ultimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/it-s-such-an-insult-that-foul-gas-comes-out-of-a-hole-in-our-butt/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [I find donating stuff to be the biggest hassle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-find-donating-stuff-to-be-the-biggest-hassle/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [Progress, real progress, makes me cry harder than anything. When the world itself grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/progress-real-progress-makes-me-cry-harder-than-anything-when-the/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) [Explore all 84 Kate McKinnon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) ## More Accents quotes > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/) [Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) > [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. The wah just accents all those stops and chops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/much-of-my-playing-is-rhythmic-and-choppy-i-use-a-lot-of-double-stops/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/) [La Rouchefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-rouchefoucauld/) > [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/) [John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/) > [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/) [Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/) [Browse all 749 Accents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was very serene, and I still am, until I start talking in another voice, then suddenly I have a lot of volume and I'm frantic. 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