Arabic version: أتسوكو أوكاتسوكا تشارك حكايات من جولتها وصلاتها بالمعجبين

According to The Guardian, comedian and actor Atsuko Okatsuka discussed the films, jobs, performances and fan encounters that have shaped her career while preparing to take The Big Bowl Tour to Australian cities.

Okatsuka, who attended film school, said the movie she returns to most is White Chicks by the Wayans brothers. She said the comedy’s mix of silliness, a scene involving Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles, and physical humour connected with her experience of learning English and slang while growing up with physical comedy in Japan.

She also recalled walking dogs in Los Angeles and receiving a bad Yelp review after taking Charlie, a terrier mix, out for 10 minutes rather than 30 on a rainy day. Okatsuka said the dog had been shaking and did not want to continue, but that the owner had a friend timing the walk. On stage, she said a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck in Pasadena, California, as she was walking on to perform a stand-up set.

Okatsuka credited her friend Chelsea Handler with advice about jealousy: there is room for everyone, she said. She also described memorable reactions from audiences, including fans who cut their hair to resemble her bowl cut. One attendee named Atsuko wore a wig styled like the comedian’s hair and said Okatsuka had helped her feel less alone and more seen because people could pronounce her name.

The Big Bowl Tour is scheduled for Brisbane on 16 August, Adelaide on 18 August, Perth on 19 August, Sydney on 21 August, and Melbourne on 22 and 23 August. Okatsuka said she can appear wholesome but has “a surprising edge,” and joked that she and her husband could join Love Island as the programme’s first married couple and potential villains.