Q & A Interview with Angelo Tsarouchas on his upcoming tour to Australia in February for his show 'It's All Greek to Me'

Q- Your show 'It's All Greek to Me' has been touring around the world to rave reviews, how do you feel your response will be when you visit Australia in February?

A- I am extremely excited about performing 'Down under'.  I receive many fan mails weekly and although I have never visited Australia, I feel their sensitivity to the whole Greek experience is very much like my own in Canada, we both come from Commonwealth Countries, not to mention Australia has the largest Greek population outside of Greece.

Q- Did you speak a lot of Greek in your home?

A- It was really my first language, my Mom couldn't speak English, so we spoke mainly Greek in the house, I echo it in my show as I do it in English and Greek, it's one of the big reasons I was motivated when writing this show.

Q- What were your greatest influences on being a comic while growing up?

A- I remember listening to Richard Pryor and Rodney Dangerfield albums that I thought were amazing, but really just being around my family and relatives, I understood there was something funny going on here, especially from my Father and my Mother, never a dull moment.

Q- What is the best advice you never took?

A- Changing my name. They told me when I was getting into the business that I should change my name, it would help my career, well leaving it as it is has been a blessing, you should be who you are and proud of it, that's how us Greeks have been raised.

Q- If you were stuck on a deserted island who would it be with?

A- That's an easy one, Shania Twain, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston, Oh, and my Mom, hey someone has to cook!

Q- Who's the most 'eccentric' Actor you have ever worked with?

A- Marlon Brando, hands down, we were working on a movie called 'The Score' he was a legend and walked to the beat of his own drum, he would do scenes just wearing his boxer shorts, and tell the director to shoot him from the waist up because it was too hot the day we were shooting, He called me over for recommendations of restaurants in Montreal because as he said ' I looked like an eater'!

Q- What is your 'Big Fish that got away’ story?

A- A couple of years ago, I was performing at a comedy club in New York, when a casting agent for 'The Sopranos' saw me and brought me in for a screen test, they wanted me for a 'Greek Mobster' from Astoria to be in episodes for that season, it was the year James Gandolfini wanted to quit the show, and after the long hiatus the writers who wanted me were changed.

Q- You present a TV show in Canada called, 'The Fat Boy Food Review', where are some of your favourite places to eat in the world?

A- I like all kinds of different cultures of food, There was this place in Cape Town, South Africa called ‘The Greek Fisherman’, it was the best Calamari and Greek salad I ever had. Also the famous 'Smoked Meat' sandwich at Schwartz's Deli in Montreal, it is a Hebrew delicatessen run by Greeks? You figure that one out.

Q- And your worst place?

A- England, I think they forgot a main ingredient when they cook, it's called 'taste'??

Q- What is coming up for you in the future?

A- After the 'Just for Laugh's' festival in Montreal, I received some interest from Networks in L.A. about developing some new show ideas, especailly from CBS, I also just finished writing the screenplay self titled, 'It's All Greek to Me'.  It's about a struggling Greek comic who impersonates a Sumo wrestling Champion to win the love of a Japanese tour guide - pretty much my life story!