Julia Atkin is an actor, writer and director. She grew up all over; six US states and two countries, but is now based in NYC. Atkin’s Film and TV credits include: Gary Screams for You (TIFF Premiere), Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till (Emmy Award Winner), Bug Bites (short), NEXT (Fox), and Chicago Med (NBC). A seasoned regional theatre performer, Atkin has been cast in productions from the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Court Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Co., Collaboraction, Prop Thtr, and The Arc Theatre. Atkin made her directorial debut at the SheNYC festival with the World Premiere of Over Easy by Abaigeal O’Donnell, which won best comedic script and best leading actor. Crying At My Podiatrist is her first solo show.
What do you think makes great comedy/content/sitcom/etc?
I love a comedy where everything that could possibly go wrong does, and it all somehow works out in the end. That’s life. I appreciate great writing and physical comedy, which feels more rare these days. I love something defiant and funny. I always come back to the court jester, or clowns, or Jewish comedy, turning pain into laughter. The world feels so dark sometimes that anything that produces a medicinal reaction from my body; a giggle, a full belly laugh, a smirk, I’ll take it all.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Anywhere and everywhere. There’s some work involved. I keep a note on my phone of funny things people say, or things that make me curious. I try to keep the channel open by journaling. There’s a soft vigilance I hold, like I’m waiting on the porch for Inspiration to show up again. Sometimes I walk out the front door and there she is. Once she’s here, it’s like having your best friend over to reminisce, or gossip, or pretend we can solve the world’s problems. Or just drink wine and lay on the floor and daydream.
How did you get into comedy/writing/producing etc?
I fear the answer isn’t funny, but I had a real hang up about men telling me what to do with my body on stage, especially around exposing grief. So I wrote a role where I got to do exactly what I wanted, reveal myself in a way that felt authentic and purposeful. It was so liberating to develop my own taste. Writing myself as a character, seeing my life in a bird’s eye view, helped me process my past. Eventually I’d spent enough time and energy writing that the play was sort of begging me to produce it. Comedy makes it bearable to perform. The show tackles a lot of dark subjects; suicide, chronic illness, medical assistance in dying. But honestly, sometimes I get to those parts and forget that I wrote them in. I’m having too much fun showing you gross photos of my toe.
Who are your favourite Funny Women?
Picking favourites is always so hard, there are so many. I grew up watching Whoopi Goldberg, she was probably the first funny woman I fell for. I love Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Natasha Lyonne, Jean Smart. Maya Rudolph could make me pee my pants. I tend to obsess over performers in certain roles. Jessica Walter in Arrested Development. Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep. Unbelievable. I was finishing Veep right around the time of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, in 2024. I managed to score tickets to Stephen Colbert’s live coverage. His first guest came out, and it was Hilary Clinton, an actual veep. The room erupts. They finish, and break for commercial. His second guest comes out, and it’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I thought I knew how much I loved her, but no. I turned into a person I’ve never met before. I screamed so hard I lost my voice the next day. I didn’t even know that level of fandom lived inside me.
What’s next for you?
I’m taking my first solo show to Edinburgh Fringe this year, with previews in NYC. It all started with an unexpected interaction I had with a podiatrist years before, when I had to get my big toenail removed. Our relationship was odd but tender, like an offshoot Daddy Warbucks and grown up Orphan Annie. I spent the next three years returning to his office, and scribbling down our conversations in my car afterwards. It’s called Crying At My Podiatrist, which I did a lot. It tackles women’s health, intersectional identity, and end of life care, among other things. The hope after Edinburgh is to take it to other festivals and eventually develop it into a series. After that, who knows? There’s an environmentalist gorilla puppet play I really want to write…we’ll see!
Tickets for Crying At My Podiatrist are available here!
