We had a great interview with the famous Greek-Canadian-American comedian, super funny man, Angelo Tsarouchas. We managed to interview him just before he goes on his much anticipated 2022 US and Australian Tour. There are thousands of Greek fans down under in Australia, and in the US, who have been waiting to see him on stage after a year and a half since the pandemic literally shut down the world. GET TICKETS BELOW OUR INTERVIEW.
Angelo’s always smiling, and making our editors LOL! A natural talent with the biggest heart that lights up any stage. He also frequently lights up cigars too! Angelo has had many viral videos on our Greek Gateway social media pages over the years. One of our favs, is still, the “Greek Weddings”video with over 1.3 million views and counting!
Greek Gateway: What was that aha moment that inspired you to get into comedy and acting Angelo?
Angelo Tsarouchas: My aha moment, was in high school, when the teacher didn’t show up for the class on time and I got in front of the class and started pretending to be a foreign exchange student teacher. Then I did a variety show in the 12th Grade, I did Rodney Dangerfield jokes and some of my own jokes and that’s how it all started.
GG: What is the funniest story or situation that’s ever happened on the set of a movie you were in?
AT: I’ve been lucky to do a lot of movies, the funniest moment was on the set of ‘The Score’, Marlon Brando called me over and I was nervous, and he asked me where to go eat in Montreal, so here I was talking to the Godfather telling him where to get the best souvlaki and spaghetti in Montreal. That was definitely my most memorable moment ever on a movie set.
GG: What are your 3 favorite comedians of all time you watched growing up?
AT: My favorite comedians growing up and listening to them I would have to say Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Pryor, and Harry Klynn, they all influenced me very much with a unique style of comedy. I really strive to this day to be accomplished like them.
GG: Have people ever referred to you as the Greek Chris Farley?
AT: Ha ha ha ha! All the time, if I’m doing a bit on stage and I start losing it and my voice gets louder the crowd goes crazy, and they’re all like you look and act like Chris Farley! He was a brilliant energetic performer who died way before his years, they still think I’m Chris Farley!
GG: You have been in many movies to date: Cinderella Man, John Q, The Score, The Recruit, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, The Prince and Me, Avenging Angelo and many more. Which movie was the most memorable to work on and why?
AT: Those were all cool movies to be in and I got to work with some of the biggest stars on the planet. ‘Harold and Kumar’, and ‘The Prince and Me’ got me a lot of notoriety. To this day people stop me in the mall or wherever even in the pharmacy. However, the work I’m most proud of is an indie film shot in Los Angeles called ‘Fred and Vinny’. I got to play Vinny and was co-starring with Fred Stoller. It was so much fun, and definitely one of my most memorable. I got to portray this person, the world’s fattest agoraphobic vegetarian. Who is also a chain smoker, carries his baseball card collection around with him, and always shops at the dollar store.
GG: How excited are you to be going on tour in the US and in Australia again since the pandemic began?
AT: I’m very excited to be touring the US and Australia! We’ve had a few years off and I think a lot of people wanna get out and laugh, interact, and forget about what’s going on in the world. I have my fingers crossed that everything’s gonna go through for 2022, however, being Greek, we’re very superstitious and we always tend to think something bad is gonna happen, ha ha ha! It’s going to be a lot of fun, and when Canada opens up, I’m looking forward to coming back and doing shows there as well as the UK, Cyprus, and in Greece.
GG: Do you feel like live stand up comedy will ever be the same again post pandemic?
AT: We have definitely seen a shift in the way people look at comedy or drama or any type of entertainment medium, TikTok took off as did Instagram and Facebook, I think it’s opened up a lot of great opportunities, but I still think that people want to go out and make an evening of it and laugh in a live environment with live comedians on stage, there’s nothing like it!
GG: You have been performing on cruise ships quite a bit during the pandemic. How is it performing on cruises?
AT: We had about 18 months off on the cruise ships, and just recently we’ve been going back. The cruise ships have done an excellent job with keeping them clean, social distancing, and following protocol. The shows have been great and I love traveling. I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous sometimes, but at this point I worked in Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, so too late to have those thoughts. I love the cruise ship gigs, they’re so much fun to do!
GG: What is the funniest encounter you have ever had with another celebrity.
AT: I was on a flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles, and sitting in front of me was who I thought was Shawn Ashmore with actress Minka Kelly. When we landed in LA, I told him that we had a mutual friend in Toronto who was a screenwriter and that I met him before in Burbank. He looked at me puzzled, and I said to him, “you’re Shawn Ashmore right”? Then he replied, “sorry buddy you got the wrong superhero I’m captain America Chris Evans, Shawn Ashmore is on X-Men”, and that’s my biggest ‘Malaka moment’ I’ve ever had with a celebrity.
GG: How are your Greek fans in the US compared to Australia and in Greece?
AT: I’ve been blessed with a lot of great fans, throughout Australia, Canada, US and in Greece! It’s an awesome fan base, the Greeks are on another level though. They’re very interactive, they love YouTube, they love sending me messages, and being a child of the diaspora, and being able to connect with the Greeks in Greece the way I do, is because most of the stuff I’m talking about was stuff that our parents brought out of Greece 40 to 50 years ago. America encompasses all of those things, wherever you go in the US, there’s Greeks and they’re wonderful, very hospitable, and a very proud people!
GG: What’s your favorite Greek dish?
AT: Yemista hands down, with feta, olives, psomee, and sprinkled with oregano! Mmmmmm!
GG: What’s your favorite Greek song?
AT: Vasilis Karras “As’ Tin Na Leei”, I really connect with that song!
GG: What is that one thing you do daily that is so Greek?
AT: I do my cross when I wake up, and when I go to bed. There isn’t a moment that I’m not thinking of a Greek dish that I would devour. I’m always checking up to see what other Greeks are doing. Whether it’s tennis, soccer, or entertainment, or whatever I always like watching it on Greek Gateway. It’s a good place to get all of that stuff, and not because I’m doing the interview with you guys, it’s the truth!
GG: Has any agent or actor ever told you to shorten your Greek last name?
AT: That’s a good question, when I first went to Hollywood an agent looked at me and said “Tsarouhas, that’s a long name. You should think about changing it.” I said, “that’s my name and I’m not gonna change it because too many people died for me to have this name”, and he thought about what I said, and then he looked at me and he said, “Tsarouchas is a great name.”
GG: We wish you all the best with your US and Australian Tour Angelo! Keep making us laugh, we all need it now more than ever!
AT: We sure do! Thank you so much for the interview GG! Wishing your team all the best in 2022.
GET TICKETS TO SEE ANGELO TSAROUCHAS ON HIS US & AUSTRALIAN 2022 TOUR
🇺🇸 US TOUR
February 2, 2022
Angelo Tsarouchas Live Comedy Tour – For Tickets call 614-774-9245
Columbus, OH, USA
February 3, 2022
Angelo Tsarouchas Live Comedy Tour – For Tickets call 330-770-0271
Warren, OH, USA
February 4, 2022
Angelo Tsarouchas Live Comedy Tour – For Tickets call 630-234-2183
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
February 5, 2022
Angelo Tsarouchas Live Comedy Tour – For Tickets call 734-752-7956
Detroit, MI, USA
February 6, 2022
Angelo Tsarouchas Live! – For Tickets call 630-234-2183 and call 630-205-1403
Chicago, IL, USA
March 5, 2022
Angelo Tsarouchas Live!
Port Washington, NY
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March 6, 2022
Angelo Tsarouchas Live!
Montreal, QC
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🇦🇺 AUSTRALIAN TOUR
April 29, 2022
MYTHOLOGY – Belconnen Labor Club
CANBERRA, ACT, AUSTRALIA
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April 30, 2022
MYTHOLOGY – Sydney Comedy Festival – Factory Theatre
SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA
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May 1, 2022
MYTHOLOGY – Sydney Comedy Festival – Factory Theatre
SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA
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May 5, 2022
MYTHOLOGY – The Greek Club
BRISBANE, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
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May 6, 2022
MYTHOLOGY – Arkaba Hotel
ADELAIDE, South Australia, AUSTRALIA
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May 7, 2022
MYTHOLOGY – Athenaeum Theatre
MELBOURNE, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
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🇺🇸 US TOUR
July 14, 2022
Laugh Factory Reno
Reno, NV, USA
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July 15, 2022
Laugh Factory Reno
Reno, NV, USA
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July 16, 2022
Laugh Factory Reno
Reno, NV, USA
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July 17, 2022
Laugh Factory Reno
Reno, NV, USA
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August 15, 2022
Laugh Factory Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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August 16, 2022
Laugh Factory Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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August 17, 2022
Laugh Factory Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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August 18, 2022
Laugh Factory Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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August 19, 2022
Laugh Factory Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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August 20, 2022
Laugh Factory Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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August 21, 2022
Laugh Factory Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV, USA
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