Olivia Lee’s come a long way since briefly playing aristocratic felt fox Basil Brush’s girlfriend on kid’s TV.
The comedian has been part of prank show Balls of Steel and then hosted her own comedy series Dirty Sexy Funny before finding success in the US, becoming the host of comedy game show Battle of the Bods.
Now the front of E! Entertainment’s talent show Opening Act, we talked to her about how the show bucks the usual talent trend, her fondness for practical jokes and her close call with being in a girl band.
So, what can you tell me about Opening Act?
Opening Act is a talent show, but it subverts the traditional format we’re used to. It’s not a competition, no one enters. Myself, Nigel Lythgoe, Jason DeRulo and the other mentors find the talent on the internet. So we open up the show with, say “We’re looking for an opening act for Lady Gaga”.
We then find the acts on the internet, so we spend hours looking through clips of different performers on YouTube. We select who we like the best, then I turn up on their doorstep and surprise them with the news that they’ve been spotted and seeing if they’d like to open for a big musical star.
How did you get involved in this project then?
I actually screen tested for it. I was in LA, having a few meetings and my agent asked whether I wanted to go screen test for this show. I read the brief and I thought it sounded awesome, so I went for it and got offered it in the room! The producers asked me to present it so and I was like “Err, does this mean I’ve got the gig?
Opening Act’s finding all these great singers, but how’s your singing voice?
Awful. You know Christina Aguilera? I’m a bit like her dog. Although that might not be fair to her dog, I’m sure it sounds better than me. Thank God Nigel never saw me sing because that would shed a whole different light on our friendship!
I actually have a story for you about me singing. When I left drama school, I got asked to be in a girl band. I was really surprised, as I hadn’t had to sing or anything yet. We did a showcase for record label, and I’m singing my heart out only to figure out that the mic’s off.
So, at the end of the showcase, I was asking what went wrong and he just said “Nope, that’s exactly how it should be. You’re not here to sing, you’re here to do the talking. Be the personality of the group.” Then they gave me the sexy speak-singing parts, like [adopts sultry tone] ‘It’s Friday night, you’re walking in the club’. So, needless to say, I really didn’t want to stay in the group after that, no way.
You came from a dramatic background, but what made you switch to comedy?
I just love comedy. I love making people laugh. I think comedy done well is social commentary. You can say a lot of painful shocking things, but if you do it in a funny way, you can not only get your message across, but you can make people laugh along the way. We all love to laugh, it’s a known fact that when you laugh your health improves. I just love the idea of putting smiles on faces.
Do you think it’s harder to break in to comedy as a woman?
I don't know. I mean, I’ve had to work hard; I’ve had to prove myself. I still do now. I didn’t come up through the traditional stand-up way either. I’ve always thought you can never rest on your laurels, so I just keep writing and keep reading.
You’ve had great success in America over the last couple of years. Do you consider it a spiritual home now then?
I’ve been really, really lucky. I was doing Jay Leno this year and now I’ve got this show and I love La. I know it gets a lot of bad press, but I’ve got family there and I’m kind of living between LA and London now. Three months here, three months there. Saying that though, the thought of leaving London for good really upsets me because of the family and friends here that I’ve grown up with. Dipping my toe into LA for a little bit at a time suits me really well.
What is working with Jay Leno like?
It’s great, he’s a real pro, you can learn so much from him. He’s a great guy, a comedy veteran.
You’ve been on a few prank show’s in your time, so what is it about a good prank that excites you?
I love being cheeky and naughty. It’s challenging to thrown yourself into a situation and not have a script and try and make something funny. I think I may be a bit of a masochist. I like living on those high octane nerves. The more pressure there is, the more nervous the situation, the more challenge I can feel the better. It’s like a drug. Some people jump out of planes, I play pranks.
You created a whole bunch of weird characters for Dirty Sexy Funny, but which was your favourite to play?
I love the old Jewish grandmother. I like the OCD woman too. Actually, I really like them all for different reasons. The old New Yorker is so much fun to do though. She’s got this rough old accent, shouts a lot, is really inappropriate, it’s just my alter ego coming.
So, after this, what’s on the horizon for you?
I’m working on a sitcom, that’s currently in development. So, hopefully I’ll be working more on that soon.
Any details?
No! You’ll have to wait and see, but I can tell you it’s about my life. But that’s it!
We all know that a lot of celebrity couples have a troubled run, but how you and Basil Brush these days?
He never gets back to my texts, never returns my e-mails, I’ve had to resort to standing outside his house day in, day out. He just doesn’t go out. He’s got no respect. I’m going to carry on stalking him though, until he gets back to me, that’s then plan.
Opening Act, premieres Monday 24th September at 9pm, on E! Entertainment Television
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith