Ashley Padilla

Padilla articulates her core philosophy: refusing despair because life is too short and the alternative is hell. This moment encapsulates her entire worldview and approach to both comedy and life.

Padilla explains how working for Diane Keaton and adopting self-deprecation became liberating—she stopped trying to be perfect and instead leaned into playing the fool, which paradoxically made her funnier and more authentic.

Padilla traces her non-linear path: college felt wrong after a week, Sephora job was unfulfilling, and she nearly quit comedy entirely despite a decade of work at the Groundlings before SNL called.

Padilla describes watching Keaton move through the world, being encouraged to study classic films, and absorbing her directness and charm—a mentorship that shaped her comedic sensibility more profoundly than formal education.

During a moment of profound despair while walking down Melrose, a car pulls up and a woman tells Padilla she loved her at the Groundlings and that she's going to be on TV. Padilla experiences this as a sign from the universe that validates her struggle.

Padilla told her manager she was done with the Groundlings. The manager assembled a showcase called Party of Three with her best material. SNL heard about it, and Padilla found herself auditioning—but even after being told she'd get the job, she was terrified she'd look like a monster on camera.

On the day of her second SNL audition, her book with Diane Keaton is released, and Padilla sees a blown-up cover displayed in the window of Barnes and Noble on Fifth Avenue. The collision of these two moments—publishing a book (something she never thought she could do) and auditioning for her dream job—overwhelms her emotionally.

Unlike stand-up, which Padilla finds intimidating because you're alone on stage, sketch is collaborative. She's surrounded by the best people at every department, which removes the pressure from being individual and distributes it across the team.

Padilla explains that her positivity isn't innate—it's something she actively practices, choosing gratitude and choosing not to wallow. She acknowledges people forget life is short, and she has to remind herself to wake up and appreciate small things like good coffee or soft pajamas.

A New York Times critic termed her use of the pregnant pause 'the Padilla Pause,' praising her virtuosic timing. She acknowledges this is real work—something she's honed—but admits she has to relearn it when she hasn't been performing live.

Acting in The Catch alongside Emma Stone and Chris Pine felt like an extension of sketch work to her. She describes loving the back-and-forth with other actors and being surprised by how natural it felt, suggesting performance across mediums shares common DNA.