HOW DID FILMING THE SERIES GO?
I had no idea what to expect and jeez, people really surpassed whatever I thought they would do. It really descends in chaos and madness quite quickly; I was shocked at how quickly the tone degraded.
DID YOU ENJOY YOUR ROLE AS HOST?
I felt a lot of pressure being the referee because the comedians were all wanting to win and as part of that some of them were playing a bit passively. Which meant they weren't going on the attack and trying to make each other laugh, which is a bit of a no-no and also makes for a boring game. So I had to come in and give them yellow cards or red cards, eventually, because we have to have one winner in the six hours. It got to the point where I had to look for the slightest smirk on people's faces and it's hard. I love them all.
HOW DID THE COMEDIANS HANDLE BEING ELIMINATED?
I loved it as then I could talk to them. But some of the things that happened in the series are a bit bad, some of them did have to have some psychological counselling. I'm not even joking. And there were some things that even I didn't realise because I was watching so many screens... But we all saw each other the next day and everything was fine, but it was interesting. I liked it when we could chit chat because I'd been away from Australia and based in the US for a decade, so some of them I wasn't as familiar with.
DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE LASTED LONG?
It's hard. I'd have to almost pretend I was a character as when I'm on a film set and playing a character, I'm very good at not laughing. Like, very good. So I think I would have to have that strategy and literally not be Rebel Wilson, because the real Rebel would laugh just to be friendly. Especially because some of these comedians are real crack-ups, so it would have felt weird and impolite not laughing.
WAS IT YOUR AIM TO RAISE AUSSIE COMICS' PROFILES?
Yeah. I mean I don't know if you guys rate us in comedy, but basically the main reason why I wanted to do the show is because it showcases Australian comedians; it gives them a leg up as this show goes out to over 200 countries. So people will click on their stand up special or buy tickets when they tour or come to Edinburgh, and that will help these Aussie comedians. We're such a small country and small industry, so any platform can help. And with me being someone in a position of power now, I like to give back.
IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE, TOO, PEOPLE WANT THE ESCAPISM OF COMEDY.
Well this was shot in November last year, so before everything that's happened in 2020. I don't know about you, but I feel like I've already watched every single show that's out there because I've just been at home, doing nothing. So I am desperate for new shows to come out, so at least this is a total laugh and if you're a fan of comedy and comedians, you'll probably enjoy this and find it quite interesting. I think in times of such uncertainty and people fighting for justice and equality, it's really good to laugh and have a break from all of that. This show is a little escape, and it's just six episodes so people can watch it fairly easily.
:: LOL: Last One Laughing Australia is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now
