Dan Levy Quotes

What skills I lacked in, say, math or science, I like to think I made up for in my ability to read people and situations with great clarity. I therefore considered myself as a sort of valued soothsayer when it came to dispensing opinions to my friends about their life choices or relationships.

I’ve been a lover of fashion my whole life.

I hated working red carpets, I hated the whole celebrity interview process. I just realized I’d rather be the person somebody wanted to ask questions to than the person asking the questions.

I love food, and I’m a foodie; I try to hit as many restaurants as I can.

Entertainment seems to be the only arena where children who pursue the work of their parents, which is an inherently natural thing to do, is met with a lot of skepticism.

You often forget, because you’re so inside it, that television has power.

Comedy is not easy to begin with, but comedy that also dances with drama – it’s so hard.

After getting the job at MTV, the challenge was, ‘How do I start my career as a television host without people holding my dad’s career over my head?’ It’s a very easy thing for people to look to my dad and say, ‘Well, he got his job because of this.’

Anxiety is my kryptonite.

I had always been scared of the unknown, and I think it had a lot to do with a lack of self-confidence (and wearing thick, dark-rimmed glasses before they were considered cool).

I never felt comfortable hosting TV.

I think because there is the constant looming threat of nepotism and judgment, I really tried to separate what I was doing at MTV, my auditions, anything I was doing creatively, from my family.

My mom asked me one day at lunch in a very lovely and respectful way. I was finally comfortable enough to say yes, I was gay, and it really was never talked about again.

In my head, I’m a purist that doesn’t require anything but a group of good friends and a bottle of wine. In reality, I’m co-dependent on my iPhone and fully conscious of the fact that my attention span is corroding.

A lot of queer relationships on television and in films are met with extreme tragedy.

When I was working at MTV, people would e-mail me asking where I bought my frames, and I always felt a little uneasy telling a teenager to go out and pick up a $400 pair of glasses.

I came from a theater background and always wanted to act.

The sole forms of social interaction I was aware of as a kid involved a jungle gym and a sticker book. It was only in high school that ICQ – a prehistoric form of instant messaging – was first incorporated into my cultural vocabulary.

I like to refer to my small social circle as ’boutique.’ And much like the hotels of the same ilk, my friends are all unique, high quality, and serve me good food. But more than that, they teach me things about the world and about myself that I couldn’t learn anywhere else.

I’m a worrier by nature.

What I loved about ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ was that it was about family love and growth and understanding. The riches-to-rags premise is just the wallpaper.

Following a trend too closely is a risky thing. If not properly executed, you could easily end up looking uncomfortable, over-styled, and downright foolish.

My mother was in labour for two full days before having me on a sunny August afternoon. She went into labour on the 7th, and I chose to make my big entrance on the 9th.

Thinking back, the majority of the conflicts I’ve had in my life have been a result of offering up my two unwelcome cents, crossing that line between constructive truth-telling and preaching.

Growing up, my height was faithfully tracked from infancy to my late teens on the door frame of my mom’s office – the only place in my family’s home in Toronto where writing on the walls was encouraged.

A little confidence can make the simplest of T-shirts look like a million bucks.

When I feel like treating myself, I’ll either turn to food or clothes. Bad food. Expensive clothes. Ironically, I’m usually rewarding myself for a solid week of healthy eating or a nice paycheque.

I went to private school and then chose to go to public school because I didn’t like the private school experience; I didn’t like that vibe.

A lot of queer characters get painted with either a caricature brush, or they’re used to teach, in a way.

I wasn’t necessarily aware of what my dad did, but I was aware that wherever we’d go, there would be attention. I was never comfortable with it.

It is important that we realize that words have meanings far beyond the dictionary definition.

I grew up with my dad sitting us down at the holidays and putting on ‘The Honeymooners.’

The Canadian audience is very critical, particularly of their own content.

‘Real talk’ refers to the act of speaking the honest truth about something or someone without fear of consequence.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m a sucker for weddings. I’ll get misty-eyed watching the union of two perfect strangers. But in some cases – and I need to stress some cases – I feel like we’re getting blindsided by the spectacle of it all.

No one does cool, catchy pop music like Robyn, and ‘Hang With Me’ is a testament to that.

My name is Dan, and I’m a technoholic.

My parents have – my dad has managed to succeed at his craft. So, you know, it’s not like I was struggling in my life.

Lauryn Hill quietly released ‘Lose Myself’ as part of the ‘Surf’s Up’ motion picture soundtrack – shocking, I know. It’s not only one of the best summer tracks you’ll add to your catalogue: it’s also one of the most honest and heartfelt songs she’s has ever written.

As a Canadian, we are sort of inherently built with an unshakable humility that at times can work against you.

The best TV that I watch, I always feel safe when I’m watching it. And that could be like ‘Homeland’ or ‘The Americans’; by ‘safety,’ I mean the show knows its parameters.

People always ask about my dad and his comedic influence. It’s funny because my mom is really the comedian of our household.

I’m clueless when it comes to flowers.

I never pictured L.A. as a hub for amazing food, which I learned quite quickly is sheer naivete. The restaurants here are insane.

It’s quite common for a television show to start off as one thing and end up as something completely different. There are so many cooks in the kitchen – the network, the studio.

‘Simply the Best’ has always been one of my favourite songs and a song that I’ve always thought was far deeper than what you imagine it to be at first listen. I found the lyrics to be really, oddly beautiful, considering you rarely stop and think about them.

I’ve never really loved mean comedy.

I remember, before I started high school, I was really intrigued by the Buddy Holly/James Dean style of glasses. This was a long, long time before they were sold at every Urban Outfitters.

It’s that stubborn fixation on details that has invariably prevented me from getting excited about celebrating each passing year. Which is why my friends know that doing things such as throwing me surprise parties would only serve to surprise me with an overwhelming sense of panic and anxiety.

When it comes to birthdays, I think there are two camps. There are people like me, who choose to treat it like any other day, and then there are the ‘birthday people.’ You know, those people who claim the full month in which they were born as their own.

I’ve read about actors trying to prevent their kids from getting into it, and I think that’s from what they themselves experienced in the industry.

I often liken my love life to the pathetic fallacy found in a Bronte novel: a long and winding road tented by storm clouds and rain. Kidding.

I’d rather create something that gives people a very strong reaction than create a show that someone looks at and says, ‘Hmm. Fine.’

There was a time in my life when people called me ‘Denim Dan.’ I didn’t like it. And fortunately for my self-esteem, it didn’t stick for very long. I was 12, and I was given the name by my classmates after I showed up to the first day of school in – wait for it – triple denim.

Ironically, fashion trends, be it denim or polka dots, have a tendency to perpetuate the contrary.

I’ve never really turned to my dad for anything, I think out of fear of the label of nepotism.

It’s important to tell queer stories and to show queer relationships in a very normal setting.

In many ways, the Internet is about diversification, and yet, in the wrong hands, the digital world can use those very examples to reinforce the narrowest of perspectives.

In an age where overindulgence seems to be the norm, I can’t help but look back and feel thankful that my parents chose to hold out on giving me everything that I wanted growing up.

So often, I think shows get into these grooves where they know the characters hit, and they just write for it over and over and over again.

I’m good with furniture, very bad with plants.

I have no patience for homophobia.

Despite probably needing one, I don’t have a therapist. Why spend the money on my mental health when I can do far more productive things such as purchase iPhone apps and pay off parking tickets?

The truth is, we are a culture built on a reward system, and our instinctive pursuit of pleasure can often lead us astray. We will rationalize anything into an excuse to indulge in whatever it is that makes us feel temporarily satiated.