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AtSNL,thetwounderdogs were forced to sink or swim but ultimately defined their Hollywood legacies without the shows brand.
Thats what made me fall in love with cinema.
It doesnt necessarily celebrate all of our idiosyncrasies.
I think she is amazing.
You want to know something pathetic?
I did not know Elaine May was her mom.
I wrote Julia a text after we were done shooting: How did I not know this?
Julia wrote back, What the fuck is the matter with you?
How did I miss that?
Shed been living with her mom and close with her, obviously.
And I didnt totally absorb everything she said.
Had I known that I mean, Elaine May is the original.
I didnt bank that it would be that much improv.
We got together at a hotel just to work through some scenarios with everybody.
Im a pretty good improviser Im not the greatest, but Im not bad.
I thought we were going in to read their scripts and pump them up.
So I step in there and Im with the creme de la creme: Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons.
I couldnt think of the name of one world leader.
I was like, Well, the Russian … is it prime minister?
I couldnt think, I shit the bed so hard that day.
I went home and beat myself up.
Thank God, they didnt fire me on the spot.
Your collaborations with Julia go back toThe New Adventures of Old Christine.
When I was a kid, I sawSNLand thought,That makes sense to me.
It makes sense to my brain.
Having a female showrunner was sort of an anomaly at that time.
I was just like,I like that.
Ill do that.Its not confidence, just such a duh moment.
Shes not a selfish actor in any way, shape, or form.
She wants everyone to be their best, to glow and shine.
Why have your careers kept intersecting?
There are so many recurring actors who might want to build a relationship with a sitcoms star.
And interestingly, it has slowly and not to her degreeish.
We have similar tastes, for sure, and maybe a similar sensibility.
WouldVeepbeVeepif it was anyone else that show was centered on?
I dont know, but boy did she make that a show I was dying to do.
I remember Julia was in that audition and she had such an infectious laugh.
She was sitting up in the front row with such a joyous smile on her face.
If it didnt go a day beyond that, that day would have been enough.
I think Julia mentioned me to play the best friend inYou Hurt My Feelings.
But I saw Nicole at a premiere, and we started chatting.
She says, Guess what?
Im making my movie!
Im going to New York!
Im doing it with Julia!
Oh, what a dream team!
Then I just said, Does she have a sister?
I was like, Could I be Julias best friend?
I dont know, they could get somebody like Marisa Tomei.
But she made us sisters!
Which I think plays so strongly.
This is why we have to advocate for our dreams.
I didnt ask to do that.
One of the writers cast me.
After the fact, I let her know I was a huge fan.
I was not making fun of her; I wanted to check that she understood.
And she said, No, I was just grateful you didnt do theSeinfeldhair!
She made a self-deprecating hair joke: New Christinehair, instead ofSeinfeldhair.
It really could have gone either way.
A couple of things had to happen.
I had to really humble myself.
I never thoughtSNLwas going to necessarily happen, so when it did happen, it was such a shock.
But I didnt have any money, either.
I felt super-dejected and embarrassed.
I was also going through a breakup.
This was between 08 and winter of 09.
The best thing was: I gotSNLand Obama became president.
I didnt get asked back.
But we said, Weve written 5,000 sketches maybe we can write a show.
That was the self-starting engine that ignited and pushed me out of what could have been.
I dont know what wouldve happened.
Thank God for Damon for saying we should write something.
I like to think I wouldve gone on auditions and been on some nice things.
And that did happen, but the writing aspect was taking power back.
I didnt understand that yet.
I was a late bloomer.
You joinedSNLduring such a fascinating, high-profile period.
In your first episode, you wereimmediately in a sketchwith Beyonce, Paul Rudd, and Justin Timberlake.Oh yeah.
That was right off the airplane.
I showed up during the table read at 30 Rock in the middle of the production week.
Amy Poehler went to go have a baby, so they hired someone a week after the election.
I got hired with Abby Elliott.
Kristen Wiig and Casey Wilson were there.
Two women were there; there were like 250 men, then Abby and me.
Thats the other thing what isthat?
Why were there four women and 12, 14 men?
But I was used to that ratio thats classical theater, thats every Shakespeare production I was sitting in.
I should be on a sitcom.
And thats why I moved to L.A., but thats another story.
I get off the plane and go to the table read.
I am up all night because theyre fitting you for all these things.
I thought I was having a fever dream.
I had two cats!
Then by the time I got to the airport, they were in the middle of a table read.
It was a Wednesday.
I slotted into an empty chair between Andy Samberg and Will Forte.
What I didnt know is that was always going to be my chair.
Like everybody sits in the same chair and thats, like, a thing.
There were a lot of things.
Your season was such a monumental one in the shows history.
Which moments stand out most to you?It was the first time women drove that show.
The favorite to me was one moment in rehearsal, the week after my first or second week.
John Malkovich was the host.
The first day, you go in and pitch ideas you may or may not ever write.
Seth Meyers said, Im thinking that we do aDangerous Liaisonsbut set in a hot tub and its calledJaccuzzi.
Everybody laughed really hard at that.
Im sorry, thats clever as hell.
He had no intention of ever actually writing it.
John Malkovich is in there bellowing at my face.
Kristen Wiig puts her hands on my shoulders and goes, Can you believe your job right now?
It was the most glorious moment.
I will never forget that feeling.
I was weak in the knees with gratitude.
I stayed very grateful all year long.
Thats what was weird: I liked being there.
It felt like a match to me, and it was weird they didnt want me there any longer.
You had your popular Bitch Pleeze blogger on Update.Yes, there was that.
My favorite thing was withKristen doing Kathie and Hoda.
That was the thing I didnt know any pop culture, really.
Im a bit of a political junkie, or a blooming one at least.
I would drive around L.A. listening to NPR and getting angry at the world.
That was starting to really blossom in me at that time.
Bush was going out, and Barack Obama was coming in.
It was a very exciting election period.
So when someone said, Can you play Hoda Kotb?
the answer was Yes!
I cant wait to play … Hoda … Kotb!
A man or woman?
And she uses her mouth to express herself a lot.
I really hadnt been going to Hollywood parties by that point.
Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell, of course.
I also love Billy Joel, and that is an anthem if you ever heard one.
I went out on that show not knowing I wasnt coming back.
I got to really enjoy it go out with flair.
I was like,Wow!
The people I got to work with … Steve Martin is my kind of comedian.
I was a newbie, and he came to my office.
Id written a sketch for him that he really loved.
It was very physical and farcical.
He kept trying to rehearse it.
Like,Oh my God, I cant believe Im working out bits.
He told me later, I fought for it really hard.
Im sorry it didnt get picked.
