Who is Jess Fuchs?
I’m a Sydney-born comedian, writer, and actress… and per my therapist’s notes, also a middle child and an auntie, lest I become too work-obsessed to have an identity outside of it.
People consider me an extrovert. I think I’m just good at being loud. I’m probably actually an introvert. I need approximately 23 hours of alone time a day to feel grounded.
I also have amazing eyebrows. Not exactly a personality, but in a world where everyone fills theirs in, having a strong natural brow feeds my ego enormously. So maybe it is.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
Stop spiralling at the fear of being unproductive. I’ve had a toxic, compulsive relationship with optimisation, chastising myself for taking an afternoon off, as if rest is a character flaw.
So I’m working on bringing a more spiritual, woo-woo, manifesty energy to my life. Being certain that success is inevitable, an unavoidable fate hurtling toward me whether I panic about it or not.
Who inspires you and why?
My comedian friends. Annie Boyle, Kate Dolan and Lou Wall. My mum, after I described our very different comedy styles to her, said: “Wow, you’re like the Sex and the City girls of comedy.”
Lou does multi-media musical comedy that is both deeply silly and incredibly smart. Kate brings an honesty and raw energy to her work that I admire to no end. And Annie is deadpan, unshakeable, and always completely certain of her vision.
Being around people who are that distinct and committed to their own style and craft makes me braver. It’s hard to play it safe when your friends won’t.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
Narcissistically? I think comedy makes a difference. Stand up is what’s left of sitting around the campfire. It’s ancient, it’s human, and it still works.
In a world drowning in fake digital intimacy, sharing my dumbest thoughts with strangers in a dark room feels as vital for me as it does for the audience. Laughter reduces shame, opens people up, creates real connection.
I’d also mandate a social skills class in every high school. As self-appointed Captain Professor Dr Fuchs, my curriculum would cover the basics: how to make small talk, how to connect with a real human in a real room, and squashing this nonsense fear of ‘cringe’.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Last year I visited a friend in Paris who’d bravely picked up her whole life and moved there to experience something new. We navigated the romanticised, gloriously expensive, slightly grotty city while she used her broken French to guide us around her favourite spots. It felt like we were in an indie A24 coming-of-age film.
Though the older I get, the more I suspect I’m just nostalgic for whoever or whatever last made me mildly happy. Paris did it most recently. Ask me again after my next holiday.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
It entirely depends on their sexuality. Taking a trendy little gay twink to the same place as a boring, easy-to-please straight guy? Yeah right! But if pressed: Camp Cove Beach in NSW.
I once dragged my straight American friend Liam there. He’s a short king who hates sand, which makes sense, because he’s so small he probably fears falling through the grains and getting lost in the earth’s core.
The stubborn little thing would only go if I carried him across the beach like he was my backpack and I was Dora the Explorer. Then I held him under the armpits (short kings love that) and swished him around like a baby in the bath.
What are you currently reading?
An insufferable, self-taught, self-proclaimed philosopher I went on a date with texted me a post-date reading list. As if 90 minutes of listening to him talk wasn’t trying enough… now he’s making me, a dyslexic, read? (Don’t tell anyone, but I’m considering a philosophy book on his list.)
But If I’m being honest with you, and more importantly myself: I’m a smut girl. I love nothing more than palm-tingling yearning as I drift off to sleep. I just finished The Roommate by Rosie Danan. No notes.
What are you currently listening to?
Furiously ping-ponging between The Bitch Is Back by Elton John and Bed on Fire by G Flip.
Happiness is?
Sitting around with friends rehashing the same stories we’ve told a hundred times. But with a few new inane details. The older I get, the more curmudgeonly insistent I become: socialising is happiness.
A shared meal. A dinner party. Music you and your friends can’t help but dance to. Anything that puts people in a room together, untethered from their phones and obligations.
What does the future hold for you?
Touring. Being on set, starring in TV shows and movies. I’d love to be in a high school or college show like Off Campus or Sex Lives of College Girls. My biggest regret in life is that I keep aging. I need to write a body-switch movie where I get to play a college kid!
And affording my own apartment I can decorate exactly as I please. Chaotic colourful art, iconic clothing hanging from every surface, and having wonderful combinations of friends around for lively dinner parties.
Jess will present her new show Feral on 12 – 13 June, as well as her interactive panel show Casual Chit Chat on 28 June, as part of Qtopia Sydney’s Pride Fest. For more information, visit: www.qtopiasydney.com.au for details.
Image: Jess Fuchs (supplied)