SnapChat: Arj Barker

Arj Barker is back in NZ for the 2018 Comedy Festival.

My first job was ... delivering the local newspaper, in northern California, in the early 80s.

It taught me … that if you spend all the collection money on arcade games, your father will have to write a cheque to cover it, and he will NOT be happy about it. (I paid him back many years later, with interest.)

My big break came … when my parents met in 1968. Until then, I didn't have a chance!

The last job I quit was … assistant wallpaper hanger, in about 1994. I quit because I was starting to make a little income with comedy and I was happy to just scrape by as long as I could follow the gigs wherever they took me.

The most famous person I've ever met is … I met Gandalf the Grey on the set of the The Hobbit, in Wellington. He was between scenes and he walked up and said hello. Then he had to get back to work because as everyone knows, a wizard is never late.

He was ... super nice! But remember, he was still Grey at that point. I heard he changed a little after he became Gandalf the White.

The best time I've had on stage was … I'm sorry but I've had too many fun shows to count, and there's not one which stands out, but certainly supporting Flight of the Conchords on their NZ tour a few years back was beyond exciting.

But the worst was … when I was just coming down with food poisoning in Thailand. I felt like heck but I did the show anyway. Afterward I literally ran to my hotel and was sick from both ends for the next 10 hours or so.

My dream role would be … I'd like to play myself in the real-time, full-length story of my life, with all the people I've met and will meet, playing themselves. Probably will never happen though.

• Arj Barker performs tomorrow night and Saturday night at SkyCity Theatre. Tickets from Ticketek.