Amy Schumer talks mixing comedy and drama

Amy Schumer is not the self-confidence queen.

“I’m delusional,” the comic actress says. “The truth is my parents lied to me for a really long time. By the time I realized I wasn’t that great, it was too late. I had already established higher self-esteem than I deserved in this life.”

After waiting tables and bartending, Schumer broke into the biz doing stand-up, improv and what she calls “those awful off-Broadway shows.” She followed that with films including “Trainwreck,” Snatched” and “I Feel Pretty.”

The 40-year-old comedian from the Upper East Side of New York now stars in her own Hulu limited series, “Life &Beth,” debuting this weekend. She plays Beth, a Manhattan wine distributor who is living a seemingly great but unfulfilling life. Earth-shattering news makes her re-evaluate her choices to find a more authentic life.

The series also stars Michael Rapaport, Michael Cera and David Byrne.

Schumer isn’t content with just a new series. She is also one of the three hosts of the Academy Awards on March 27.

Review-Journal: What is your idea of a great Sunday?

Amy Schumer: It’s just time with my husband (Chris Fischer) and son (Gene, 2). Maybe we’ll go out to the park or somewhere to eat, which means I will wear a bra. The hype is real: Motherhood is the best, and Sundays just give you the time to slow down and be with your family.

Let’s talk about your new series, “Life &Beth.” This is partially based on a side of you that we don’t usually get to see.

I think one of the things that surprised people is that I actually am an introvert. I think so many of us have these conflicting sides of ourselves. I feel supremely confident, but also I consider myself as someone with low self-esteem. I just think we’re all hopefully evolving and trying to become the best versions of ourselves. I wanted to show that dynamic in the series.

You made sure that there was some serious drama mixed with the comedy.

I think any show that evokes emotion and thought is worth people’s time. This one does mix the comedy and drama. We wanted to make something special and grounded in reality, but also while having fun. Because that’s life: It’s trauma and pain — and then being able to laugh about it and grow from it because that’s all we can do.

You focus on the struggles of being a woman in the series — a topic that you don’t mind discussing.

There’s a moment when I’m asked in an episode, “Do you have any pre-existing conditions.” I say, “I’m a woman.” And that’s a very loaded statement. Women have been such an afterthought in everything. For instance, I had hyperemesis while I was pregnant. I have endometriosis. There’s no studies. There’s next to no studies on any female illness. And then there is this little girl, Alice Tapper, who wrote a book for her Girl Scout troop that got published called “Raise Your Hand.” Girls have stopped raising their hands in class. And we’re told that this is just part of the culture — the culture I definitely grew up with where it was like the boys are supposed to be funny and the men are supposed to speak and you just try and look pretty and we’ll call on you when we need you. So, all your value is placed on how you look, and you feel pretty powerless.

What empowered you early on?

Seeing other women being funny and putting themselves out there. I’d also read about these strong female characters in stories and admired the honesty of their struggles. But most of all, when Lucy stepped out on stage, I loved her. There’s a powerful thing about female comics. When you kind of love them, you want to know everything about them. So, I studied them to see the person behind who was great at writing the jokes.

Do you remember the first time you felt that you were funny?

I actually do. I was a kid playing Gretel in “The Sound of Music.” For some reason, every single time I’d come out on stage, people would just laugh. I was frustrated, but the director told me, “When you make people laugh, you make them feel better.” Later, I’d announce to the entire family, “Will you join me in the living room. I have a very good story I’ve crafted.” It would be something about two rabbits, but they would clap and yell, “Amazing!”

What advice do you give aspiring artists?

Do work you’re proud of each day, but don’t be too proud to pivot to another career if that feels better. Maybe it’s stand-up to acting. Or acting to writing. Do what feels right and don’t let your ego get in the way.

Do you ever worry about sharing too much about your real life in your comedy?

It’s sort of therapeutic. I’m careful about what I share about other people and always make sure they greenlight whatever I’m writing or sharing. I make sure that it’s OK with them. But in terms of sharing stuff about myself, yeah, I’m sure I’ve shared more than some people would have cared for me to share. But I think it’s helpful I do. And it feels really great and powerful to feel like you might be making somebody laugh and feel better about themselves.

Were you surprised when you got the call to host the Oscars?

Absolutely. Statistically almost no one hosts the Oscars in this lifetime. You can’t make it your lifelong plan or goal. You really can’t say, “All I want is to host the Oscars,” because let’s face it, it’s not available to most human beings.

How will you deal with the ultimate red carpet?

I usually dissociate on a red carpet, which helps. And I’m also only newly famous, so I’m still at that stage where I just try to take it all in.