I invented a new theory! Or rather, this is a personal observation that I am going to relate to comedy advice.
No matter how you feel about the singer/actor Hillary Duff, if you’re a comedian, I promise this will be helpful content.
Did you know Hillary Duff is currently on a world tour and recently released a new music album?
It’s hard for me not to know this, because Hillary Duff reels of her concerts and reels keeps popping up on my social media. I’ll be honest, I don’t mind it! She’s nice to look at, a reminder of my childhood, and usually she’ll share come kind of story about something I used to care about more in middle or high school (Yes, I used to watch Disney channel!)
So a few weeks ago when I was selecting what music I wanted to listen to, I thought to myself, “Wait a minute! Hillary Duff just released a new album, let’s go check that out.” And when I put it on….I was reminded that I am not a huge fan of Hillary Duff’s music. In my opinion, she’s not that dynamic of a singer. Suddenly when I am not looking at Hillary Duff, watching her dance, or seeing her personality shine in interviews, and I am left with nothing but the music…And honestly, I don’t care for it much.
So why was I drawn to randomly (try) to listen to Hillary Duff’s new songs? Because Hillary, and her marketing team, have done a wonderful job of putting her “stage character” out there and for a moment, in a way that made me think, “Oh I’ll like this!”
And that’s what I now call The “Hillary Duff” Effect and in today’s blog article, I’m going to share about a few things that Hillary Duff is doing really well regarding how she is playing to her audience and how it relates to you and your Comedy Character.
Notice How Hillary Is Dressing and Composing Herself on Stage
First, yes, I’ll acknowledge that Hillary Duff is beautiful and some of her appeal is in her physical attractiveness. She was a teen crush, and now she’s a mom crush for many. Or maybe you aren’t crushing on her, but you just appreciate that she looks good.
But let’s look a little deeper then that.
Hillary Duff has been intentionally dressing in a way that reminds her crowd of her previous roles or takes people back, subtly, to her Disney Channel Teen Star Days.
Sometimes she’ll have an overalls look that gives a “Lizzie McGuire Grown Up” looks which might remind fans of the TV character she used to play. I’ve seen other reels where she has a wardrobe change and returns in an elegant dress harkening to the looks in movies she made like A Cinderella Story.
Haven’t seen this movie or TV show? That’s okay! The point is that she is intentional with her physical appearance to remind her people of what she wants to remind them of, which for Hillary, are her beloved characters from when she was a teenager.
Would you like further proof? The first thing Hillary Duff does when the lights go up and her concert begins is that “Disney Wand Thing” that all the child stars used to do back in the early 20’s on the Disney Channel. From the very beginning, she is sending a “nostalgia message” that is meant to comfort her crowd that will hopefully make them feel good and at ease to enjoy her show.
It gives off a very, “Reuniting with your old friend” vibe which people are loving.
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Hillary Duff aside, what kind of message do you send when you get on the stage? How you dress, how you speak, how you walk, and everything about your mannerisms can help steer your audience in the direction that you want them to go.
As a comedian, that direction by the way, is whatever makes you seem funnier and more entertaining.
All my life I have gone by “Andrew Davis” but about a year into comedy, I changed my stage name to “Drew Davis”. Why? Because I learned it sounds better in terms of “the guy you are about to hear jokes from.”
Drew Davis sounds like more like a comedian. Andrew Davis sounds like he’ll give you great advice on filing your taxes. It’s a subtle thing, but it gives me a +1 on my comedy character.
Over the years I have stressed out a lot over what to wear on stage. Do I dress up? Are we talking polos, or a button down? Sports coat on or off? Or should I be more casual? It feels like everyone on earth, comedian and audience, has shared with me their opinions on this matter, which only made it more confusing for me.
The opinion that I liked the most, and am currently leaning into, came from the headliner I toured with last year. She said my jeans and T-shirt look gives off “Average Guy Vibes” which fits well with the content of my jokes and overall style. I am most comfortable in jeans and a superhero shirt, and I think it adds to the personality I try to create on stage. And if I need to get a little fancier, I’ll throw a sports coat on…but still have the “average guy” look that (I think) adds to my comedy character.
And the best part of how you dress and compose yourself on stage? You can change it to fit whatever you want, whenever you want! Don’t be afraid to change it up every now and again and see if you like it better.
Hillary Duff is Killing It On The Interviews
Most of the “Hillary Duff” related content that has been popping up on my feed has been her in podcast interviews or on late night shows. It makes sense that it keeps popping up for me, because i keep sticking around and watching it.
I don’t know who’s idea it was (Hillary’s, the interviewer, or a marketing team) but she is 100% giving the fans what they want in these conversations. So much of what she talks about is what it was like for the past 20 years growing up in the spotlight, and she spares no detail. “This is what I hated about being a child star”, “This was the not healthy mindset I had”, “Here’s a cool story.”
My personal favorite, when she shared about her beef with Lindsay Lohan which I didn’t know about back then (But Lindsay Lohan is and will forever be my first and favorite celebrity crush!)
Every answer she gives, every story she tells, and everything she says is meant to harken her viewers back to the “glory days” of Hillary Duff which puts them in a positive place of “remembering the good ole days.” A lot of the messages she is sending is building off the positive points of nostalgia, and it’s not unintentional.
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As a comedian, what message are you sending on and off stage?
What message is your comedy act sending? It’s never to early to think about this, but the message your content is sending has the capability to attract your audience, detract them, or if left unchecked….do nothing for them.
The worst thing a crowd can feel during your performance is Nothing. Because then they leave, and never remember anything about you.
The best thing they can feel is something good, because then they leave liking you and maybe they’ll check you out again or tell a friend about you.
Even if they leave NOT liking you, they’re still thinking of you. And often times if someone doesn’t like you, that means there is a different audience that really likes you (and it’s for the same reasons that the first person didn’t like you.)
“That guy was so offensive!” and “That guy is hilarious!” Can come from the same joke.
I am intentional about trying to make my audience feel like we are best friends, and I am a safe nice guy. I really turn up the “youth pastor” or “customer service” vibes because I’ve learned those are a big part of my human character overall, and it’s often appealing to people.
I’ve also learned that for whatever reason (and there are many) there is a lot about me that people like to laugh at. How I look, how I act, how I speak, how I behave…you name it! So a lot of my material is self deprecating. I create a “safe space” for my crowds to laugh at me, cause I’m laughing at me too. This helps me send a light and “relax, we’re just having fun” type of atmosphere.
It should be noted, the best part of forming your comedy character is that it is whatever you want it to be. If I didn’t like people laughing at me, I would probably do things different. (And also, maybe not be a standup comedian!)
How Hillary Duff makes her audience FEEL
OK, I hope I do a good job of noting the difference of the message that Hillary Duff is sending (in the last section) and how her audience feels from her performance (this section)
Hillary Duff could have not popped up on our feeds and in our lives at a better time. From many of our perspectives (myself included) things really suck here in America right now, and maybe they have never been worse?
The political climate is tense, injustice is running rampant, and if you don’t believe me…stop reading for a moment and turn on the news.
And then Mrs. Former Lizzie McGuire pops up and reminds us of life 20 years ago, when many of us were kids and didn’t have nearly as many worries and struggles as we do today.
Many folks have said Hillary Duff is “helping to heal us” with her concerts, because folks are feeling better as they are reminded of simpler times.
I’ll admit, I have enjoyed seeing Hillary Duff pop back up. Her charisma and voice, singing her big hits from back in the day, and listening to her tell stories about things I kind of remember when I was a kid. It takes me out of today, and reminds me of “yesteryear” which…Is Entertaining!
And that’s the point of what we do as comedians and any other kind of performers…to Entertain.
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So how does what you do make people FEEL?
The goal is for them to be entertained ultimately, so hopefully the answer to this question is “They feel good…better…lighter…like they laughed a lot…etc.” But your goal as a comedian is to entertain and to make your audience feel better.
Remember the second part of Vin Diesel’s very impactful (For me) quote,
“I live my life a quarter mile at a time…Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store, not my team. For those ten seconds or less, I’m free.”
What a gift we are able to give our audiences…freedom, for however short, may empower them to come back to life better equipped to handle whatever they need to handle. And you gave them that!
And One More Thing…
This blogpost is more focused on your Comedy Character and less on the content of the jokes you tell (Your jokes are very important, but not the focus of this article.)
Remember at the start I mentioned I felt all this way by LOOKING at Hillary Duff, but when I sat down and tried to listen to her music, it just wasn’t for me. (Which is okay and no shade to Hillary Duff as an artist)
I used to tell middle schoolers, “How you say it is as important as what you say.” As entertainers, we need to remember this as well.
Your presentation and who you choose to be in front of your crowd can add to or take away from your comedy act.
Your jokes are important, but so is your character and how you present yourself. You can do this well by keeping in mind the “Hillary Duff Effect”
Let’s make that a thing!
