Nahnatchka Khan Quotes

"Find like-minded people who are on the same page as you, and then lift each other up."

"Sometimes you can feel the gears shifting in scripts, like really trying to make something work that feels sweaty for whatever reason. I really enjoy reading material that just flows - it's definitely a skill to make something feel effortless."

"In comedy, it's so subjective; there is no right or wrong."

"Sometimes you can't really control the language around you. All you can do is follow your voice and your path - dedicate yourself to stories that matter."

"When you take stock, there are so many more choices and points of view that are necessary."

"Special things happen when you center people who haven't been centered before."

"You can be layered and more than one thing - you can exist outside of the box."

"When you start out as a TV writer, you get a lot of pressure from outside forces to fit into what they think people want."

"Writing in another person's voice is a skill you have to develop when you're working on someone else's show. But if you can maintain your perspective, that's what will make you stand out."

"I never had a backup plan. I've only been good at one thing. I admire people who are jacks-of-all-trades. That's not me."

"I've always been passionate about movies, TV, and writing, and I've been working so hard at it for so long. There were lots of setbacks, but I loved it so much, there was no alternative."

"'Fresh Off the Boat' will be syndicated. This show and these characters will live forever in the pantheon of classic family sitcoms."

"For immigrant families, television is what connects you to American culture, but it's also what makes you feel like an outsider."

"When we were growing up, the only person we saw on TV that vaguely resembled us was the Iron Sheik - the pro wrestler whose signature move was the 'Camel Clutch.'"

"Comedy always benefits from different points of view and even tension. It can never be satisfied."

"I think a lot of quote-unquote 'comedic actors' really go for the laugh and are overly straining and sort of trying."

"There's some actors that go easily between drama and comedy because they play the naturalism of the role, and they just have natural timing."

"If you try to describe NASCAR to anyone, you sound crazy."

"Networks love data. They love to be able to look at numbers and try to predict what they think will work."

"I was Persian-American, but I hated bringing Persian food to school. I just didn't want to stand out in that way. I wanted to be like everybody else."

"I love strong female characters."

"I love women who don't apologize."

"It's cool to be able to use comedy as a way to make people feel like they're a part of a bigger collective rather than as a way to divide."

"Having a range of perspectives allows you to tell stories through a different lens and approach things from fresh angles. If you're straining everything through the same filter, you're always going to wind up with the same product."

"My family never took vacations growing up. It just wasn't a thing."

"It's something that's almost taken for granted in sitcoms about white families. Like, 'Oh, we're going on a summer vacation!' As if that's something that everybody does."

"I've read many great samples, both of existing shows I liked and original pilots, and definitely hired the writers - or, at least, tried to!"

"Not everybody can see every moment of their life displayed by one set of people. It's just not going to happen."

"If you take a step back, you realize that the TV landscape really has been... There have been some amazing shows in terms of representation, but not for Asian people."

"My parents certainly didn't understand TV comedy. They wouldn't turn on 'Married... With Children' and laugh."