Kate McKinnon, who plays Hillary Clinton on Saturday Night Live, told The Hollywood Reporter (THR) she is “rooting for her, obviously” and gushed: “I find her so resplendent!”
McKinnon was part of an actress roundtable that featured female comedians Lena Dunham (Girls, HBO), Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central ), Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish, ABC), Gina Rodgriguez (Jane the Virgin, The CW) and Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix).
When asked by THR if she felt pressure playing the 2016 presidential candidate, McKinnon responded: “I do feel immense pressure. I’m rooting for her, obviously.” This caused ABC Black-ish star Ross to cheer: “I’m rooting for you” and Dunham to blurt: “Me too! And I believe you can make it funny while also not compromising our race.”
McKinnon was part of an actress roundtable that featured female comedians Lena Dunham (Girls, HBO), Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central ), Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish, ABC), Gina Rodgriguez (Jane the Virgin, The CW) and Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix).
Later on McKinnon revealed her secrets to doing Hillary: “I just wanted to play on the inherent contrast between a woman who is so driven and so hardened by her experiences and needs this and the country needs this. And also a little sweetie granny from the Midwest. Just the juxtaposition of those two things.” During a different portion of the roundtable McKinnon added: “I’d be so nervous to meet her. I find her so resplendent!”
For her part Amy Schumer proclaimed: “Hillary is a laugher. The coolest.”
The roundtable was also asked to offer up possible slogans for the Clinton campaign:
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: If you wrote a campaign slogan for her, what would it be?
SCHUMER: “Snitches Get Stitches.”
MCKINNON: “Guys, Come On.”
DUNHAM: I love that people are like, “She’s not qualified to be president.” Then everybody else they bring in, they’re like, “He managed a Ben & Jerry's for a while.” (Laughter.)
SCHUMER: He’s the night manager at Petco.
KEMPER: I want to hear other slogans!
DUNHAM: “Blondes Have More Foreign Policy Experience.”
The following are the relevant exchanges as they appeared in a May 27 online article for The Hollywood Reporter:
MICHAEL O’CONNELL, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: You have a huge in the next year and-a-half playing the Hillary Clinton of SNL. How are you, how are you going to approach that? Do you feel pressure?
KATE MCKINNON, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: I do feel immense pressure. I’m rooting for her, obviously.
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, BLACK-ISH: I’m rooting for you.
LENA DUNHAM, GIRLS: Me too! And I believe you can make it funny while also not compromising our race.
MCKINNON: That is the challenge. Because once it becomes a comparison that will be a different story. Right now the story is just that Hillary is running and -
STACEY WILSON, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: What’s the secret to doing Hillary? When you study her and her mannerisms?
MCKINNON (fake coughs): No, it’s a combination of the, the people who wrote those cold opens were Chris Kelly and Sara Schneider who are the geniuses.
DUNHAM: The funniest people in the world.
MCKINNON: Who have everything I’ve ever been proud of - they’ve written. So it’s a combination of their take on her that they had and then I just wanted to play on the inherent contrast between a woman who is so driven and so hardened by her experiences and needs this and the country needs this. And also a little sweetie granny from the Midwest. Just the juxtaposition of those two things.
