# Actors/Actresses Who Laugh At Their Lines **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194 "2009-01-27T06:09:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/21 "2009-01-27T19:01:55Z")
Does Jon Stewart count as an actor? Because if so I think he wins the millenial award for “can’t keep a straight face.” The only times I’ve seem him get through something really funny without laughing is when you can tell he’s actually pissed at the situation he’s making light of. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/22 "2009-01-27T20:43:50Z")
On the flip side that is one thing I liked about the _Dick Van Dyke Show_, when a purposesly funny line was told (such as when Buddy insulted Mel) Rob and Sally would try to surpress a smirk like someone would do in real life. Too often in TV shows that isn’t done. Back to the OT, I think there is a different quality between skit shows like _Carol Burnett_ and _SNL_ and TV sitcoms. I do agree with the poster who mentioned Roseanne the first year of her sitcom. I think she got better each year as an actress. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/23 "2009-01-27T20:55:27Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Yeah Jimmy Fallon… > > But I think that the time they did “Debbie Downer” and Britney Spears was on it it was excused…he was laughing along with EVERYONE!! > > Probably top 10 funniest skits ever just cuz everyone lost it IIRC it was Lindsay Lohan in that sketch. I always notice Debra Messing on Will & Grace about to laugh at every one of her lines. Also the kid from Two and a Half Men. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/24 "2009-01-27T21:05:19Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I noticed that on _That 70s Show_, the guy who plays Fez often starts to laugh before he says a funny line. He seems to be trying to keep from laughing > > On _The Facts of Life_ the girl who played Natalie would often do the same thing, before she had the punch line she’d start to smirk. > > Any other actors/actresses that you can think of that do that? See, I’ve never really noticed Wilmer Valderrama snickering at his jokes on that show, but I notice Laura Prepon giggling at everything through every episode. She never seems to be able to stay in character for more than a few seconds at a time. Perhaps this explains why she has gone on to do absolutely nothing of note since they wrapped the series? Oh, and she was WAY hotter with red hair, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/25 "2009-01-27T21:41:07Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Does Jon Stewart count as an actor? Watch **The Faculty** and let us know :p. Amusingly he seems to be trying and failing to keep a straight face in a dramatic role ( sorta ) there as well - it never fails to crack me up. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/26 "2009-01-27T21:46:17Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Watch **The Faculty** and let us know :p. Amusingly he seems to be trying and failing to keep a straight face in a dramatic role ( sorta ) there as well - it never fails to crack me up. He wasn’t so bad in Death to Smoochy. I don’t remember him laughing at all, actually. I don’t think… ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/27 "2009-01-27T22:01:02Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > . I don’t remember him laughing at all, actually. I don’t think… No, that was the audience. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/28 "2009-01-27T22:16:18Z")
> [@wring](#): > > No, that was the audience. > > 😉 Hey, c’mon now. Jon Stewart may not have been that funny, but I defy you to listen to Edward Norton’s line about playing cowboys and Indians as a kid and NOT laugh! ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/29 "2009-01-27T22:40:22Z")
When Drew Barrymore hosts SNL it’s plenty funny, but you can pretty much forget about getting to the end of any of the skits. When Stephen Colbert was still on the Daily Show, he didn’t have the whole character going on that he has now and was basically just a straightman talking head. He did it so well that it was awesome when he’d be saying something so ludicrous that he just couldn’t keep a straight face. He lost it toward the end of his report on how the North Koreans were moving from the medium range Nodong missile to the long range Taepo Dongs, while telling Jon about how the North Koreans could once be said to have Nodongs, but now had the Taepo Dongs that could kill thousands. “Stephen, are these the missles that the North Koreans were testing a short while ago?” “No, Jon, these aren’t those Taepo Dongs.” The only other time I saw him lose it that hard was when doing a report on how Prince Charles wanted to be Camilla Parker-Bowles tampon. He couldn’t finish. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/30 "2009-01-27T23:04:10Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Hey, c’mon now. Jon Stewart may not have been that funny, but I defy you to listen to Edward Norton’s line about playing cowboys and Indians as a kid and NOT laugh! I actually liked the movie, a little. But I couldn’t resist the opportunity for the line. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/31 "2009-01-28T03:00:51Z")
That was the main reason I couldn’t stand Perfect Strangers and saw very few episodes. Mark Lynn Baker would constantly be cracking up when Bronson Pinchot would be delivering some line or doing something stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/32 "2009-01-28T05:46:21Z")
The MST3K guys (guy and bots?) will occasionally laugh at each other’s jokes. I find it charming. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/33 "2009-01-28T06:50:34Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > When Drew Barrymore hosts SNL it’s plenty funny, but you can pretty much forget about getting to the end of any of the skits. > > When Stephen Colbert was still on the Daily Show, he didn’t have the whole character going on that he has now and was basically just a straightman talking head. He did it so well that it was awesome when he’d be saying something so ludicrous that he just couldn’t keep a straight face. He lost it toward the end of his report on how the North Koreans were moving from the medium range Nodong missile to the long range Taepo Dongs, while telling Jon about how the North Koreans could once be said to have Nodongs, but now had the Taepo Dongs that could kill thousands. “Stephen, are these the missles that the North Koreans were testing a short while ago?” “No, Jon, these aren’t those Taepo Dongs.” The only other time I saw him lose it that hard was when doing a report on how Prince Charles wanted to be Camilla Parker-Bowles tampon. He couldn’t finish. [The ultimate Stewart/Colbert crack-up-a-thon](http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=108395&title=prince-charles-scandal) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194/34 "2009-01-28T17:02:41Z")
Watching _The Big Bang Theory_ much more closely on DVR, I’ve noticed that Kaley Cuoco (Penny) often has to try not to bust up before her lines. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-actresses-who-laugh-at-their-lines/483194.md?page=1)