So here you are on "Weekend Update" as Judge Jeanine Pirro. GROSS: Well, I hope your mom, like, recovers really soon. I mean, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, I thought people in movies and on Broadway were, like, from another planet. I need to get - I have to practice this fall. GROSS: And who did you think of as being the girl? Cinco Paul serves as showrunner, and wrote all of the original music for the series. Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? They just performed, you know? The studio behind the project is Universal Television, with Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer of Broadway Video. You want to try with other people? And I just - I did theater. Actress, writer, producer, and all-around comedy titan Cecily Strong has built up quite the resume over the last few years. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. GROSS: So let's talk a little bit about your work on "Saturday Night Live." ; Cecily Strong was not featured in the opening credits due to her . PAUL: (Singing) So now that there's COVID-19 PAUL AND DAURIO: (Singing) Here's what we're going to do. Here with her final thoughts on this election is the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. And they've asked me to leave. And that was the germ of the idea. And I'd go, well, tonight I'm going to either - I'll just keep driving. - the loving satire of '40s and early 1950s musicals. GROSS: So when does a decision have to be made? I saw "Once Upon A Mattress," which I absolutely loved and really wanted to do. She has no clue that he's gay, but she knows that, you know, he's different from the other men. JOST: (As himself) You don't have to shout, you know. I was licking a soft-serve ice-cream cone. She's also . It turns out that her own uncle is a producer on Broadway, and that meant she had a lot of access to the stage when she was a child. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character, singing) You can't eat a fish without getting some bones. GROSS: Because she has gaydar and no one in the town does (laughter). Of course I love you. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Oh, I think they want us to take a verse. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party) Do you even know what women have to do when we go vote, Michael? You know, we were getting ready for one of those - I think they were two "Update" specials because it was an election year. So like, the reality - COVID was real to you. Cecily Strong "Still Thinking" About Return to 'SNL' as Lorne Michaels Shares Hopes "She'll Come Back" The 'Saturday Night Live' veteran, who has a new memoir out on Aug. 10, says . You'll find lots of FRESH AIR interviews, including the ones we featured this week with Fran Lebowitz and Kieran Culkin. PAUL: Yeah. Strong stars in the new Apple TV+ satire about a couple who get lost in the woods and end up trapped in a town where life is a musical and the townspeople frequently burst into song. ANN HARADA: (As Florence Menlove) That's a good question. The "Saturday Night Live" mainstay (and two-time Emmy nominee) started drama classes when she was just 3 years old as a way of channeling her oddball energy . Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. He's, like, a really big Broadway producer. I can hear you. Do you even know what women have to do when we go vote, Michael? And she just told me she's got COVID. GROSS: You did you first paid gig when you were 10. Because at "Update," you only get to rehearse on Saturday, really. And so that's partly why I just wasn't even there. And we just thought it was so funny, and it was a fun way to play her. Her characters have included Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Melania Trump and the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Then what are you saying? I was so, like, mad that no one was letting me have my rehearsal. This is a colostomy, Michael Che. I'm Terry Gross. PAUL: Yeah, that was part of the curriculum somehow. Strong is the niece of prolific Broadway producer, Edward Strong. And then the town just starts singing about how great corn pudding is. because everyone in it seems to be enjoying being in it so much. I mean, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, I thought people in movies and on Broadway were, like, from another planet. It's a journal of her first year of the pandemic, dealing with anxiety and depression. We'll first hear the voice of Michael Che on "Weekend Update.". We'll be right back after a short break. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. I appreciate it. I only wish that nightly he were slightly more aggressive. The same year, she starred in, and was a producer for, Schmigadoon!, a musical parody series on Apple TV+. And they embraced me. It's not something we're going to eradicate. STRONG: I haven't. She was promoted to repertory player in season 39 in September 2013, along with her fellow castmates Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon, and left midway through season 48, following the December 17, 2022 . Strong will also serve as a producer. She has a new memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon." And I'll meet - you know, I'll probably talk to Lorne more and talk to my agents, and we'll figure it out, figure out where I'll be. The first two episodes will premiere globally on Friday, July 16, 2021 exclusively on Apple TV+, followed by one new episode . So this starts - this clip will start with Cecily Strong speaking, and I should say that the mayor's last name is Menlove. They get lost in the woods, cross over a bridge and suddenly find themselves on what looks like a backlot movie set of a small town in the early 20th century, a town called Schmigadoon. GROSS: Yeah. I did, like, a video for kids - for schools to show about kids with parents with drug and alcohol problems. But my man loves cooking. Like, who cares? Like, he doesn't look at other women. And it was a lot of work, which is a good distraction and good to, like, have a job again. And whenever a musical theater song would somehow pop up in my mix, he would say, skip. STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) Can't do it, pal. So if he wants my puddin', he'll have to marry me. "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life . You know, the first show we did, we did the table read on Wednesday. STRONG: I almost enjoy it more to see when someone's laughing. And she recommends the corn puddin'. You know, I wasn't a super popular kid. Did you get to go backstage? And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. That's called a bubble standard. If I can play devil's abacus for just a second, I think we all know the real reason Julian Assange is in jail, and that's 'cause she's a woman. How did it affect your sense of self to be arrested and to be expelled and to think, maybe, you wouldn't even graduate high school? And then to be on those sets that were also gorgeous and then to be with this amazing group of people - and we are able to do musicals in a time when Broadway is shuttered, and that's so depressing to walk next to. She's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." I mean, the season starts - what? Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? And then it was just such a gift. I think my favorite character that you've been doing lately is Judge Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News host. It's not like I drove myself. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of it. I never wanted the songs to be too jokey, if that makes sense. And Alan does such an amazing job with this character and really gives him depth and heart in a way that elevates it even beyond, you know, what I'd hoped he'd bring. . - where she sort of wishes he could be who he really is. CECILY STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) I don't understand. We'll be right back. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. I wish your mother well. But she left the desk, preferring to do sketch comedy, which she's great at. In case you are wondering about his identity, Jack is an international traveler. Cecily Strong, who was a child actress and then an improviser in Chicago before finding fame on "Saturday Night Live," is set to make her New York stage debut this winter. But if you've got some extry (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. And so I think, more than anything, it made me realize, like, that's what depression does to you. She's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." I've been slightly hypoglycemic since I was a kid, so I have to make sure I eat in the morning and get my sugar. Why couldn't we cross? He co-wrote, co-created and wrote all the songs for the satire of musicals called "Schmigadoon!" And it's - I'm a bad person. It's streaming on Apple TV+. So I really was like, come on, everybody. GROSS: (Laughter) I like that idea, the square dancing lobby. GROSS: OK, let me reintroduce you here, and then we'll talk some more. And I had that above my bed until we - I moved out - I think, till I went to college. GROSS: Well, I wish you well. I'll just keep driving west - right? GROSS: Cecily Strong stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!" I'd feel safer being a child actor in Chicago. Facts Buddy Fast, Factual, Free! I'm sorry. But that's really where it deepened into something different. Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984)[2][3] is an American actress and comedian who has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live . And, you know, everybody that was there was supposed to be there. The show was filmed in Vancouver, Canada. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) We want corn puddin'. You're in a safer place, safer in the sense that you can go outside without having to go down an elevator and walk through a lobby and be - you know, be in the middle of Manhattan. 4. I'm Terry Gross. PAUL: Well, it's kind of crazy. So we did her on "Update.". You know, really, we talk about escapism, and I had real-life escapism where I flew into this beautiful, magical land of Vancouver, where there's, like, water and mountains and big trees. Strong slid into a corner booth with her fellow "S.N.L." cast member Heidi Gardner. OK, can you just please tell us about the candidates? So a few weeks after talking to Cecily Strong about starring in the series, I spoke with Cinco Paul, who wrote all the songs. And you can't have love without having a lover's spat. And I think, because my - we'd already gone through things with my brother. Apple TV+. STRONG: It was awful. Saturday Night Live's Cecily Strong stars in the new production of Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner's "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe." . ", a satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. was a lifetime in the making. And he was showing me clips of her, like, doing man-on-the-street interviews. People don't just burst into song in real life," complains Josh ( Keegan-Michael Key) to girlfriend Melissa ( Cecily Strong) early in the new . And I was really, like, a kid who sort of wanted to stay under the radar, anyway. GROSS: That was another scene from "Schmigadoon!," which stars my guest, Cecily Strong, and Keegan-Michael Key. And I can't - she's so far away. And actually, my dad took a bunch of pictures. This past summer, Strong published a memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon." The men are dressed like they're in old-fashioned barbershop quartets. But apparently, some cosmic verdict has been reached. GROSS: That makes no sense at all (laughter). My Uncle Ed is a theater producer in New York, my dad and . And then it took a while to really understand, here's all of the things we're going to put in place, here's all the safety measures, until I finally felt safe. The Search . Keegan-Michael Key's character hates musicals and is desperate to leave. And I was enjoying watching it so much. Our interview was recorded in August. GROSS: Well, let's take a break here, and then we'll talk some more. So it was really important for the show to have that perspective. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Then she complains that he don't understand her. You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. And I think Hal Willner, our music producer, had passed away the night before or something. So somebody at Fox News said my name into a bathroom mirror three times, and here I am. And she stars in the new series "Schmigadoon! If you're an avid fan of Saturday Night Live, you already know Cecily Strong. I'm Terry Gross. So, you know, I'm - I would love to do it. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So you don't really love me? GROSS: They didn't connect to the world I lived in. And it was like, now we're seeing all of each other on Zoom at our first Zoom table read, and it was just so overwhelming. He co-created, co-wrote and wrote all the songs for the series "Schmigadoon!" I think I took my first drama class when I was 3. Outside of SNL, Cecily Strong hasn't really established an especially large presence in Hollywood. All rights reserved. Strong mentioned that her uncle is a Broadway producer in a 2021 interview with Terry Gross on the NPR program Fresh Air, thus she was able to see several Broadway productions as a child and even go backstage . He co-created, co-wrote and wrote all the songs for the series "Schmigadoon! STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) That's right. So how much do you love musicals? Like, you know? STRONG: Yes. . And I will put on music I really like and get myself warm and fall asleep and not have to wake up. And is it hard for you to keep a straight face when he's having trouble keeping a straight face? Can we skip that and get to the good stuff? This Mueller report completely exonerated the president, and therefore everybody on the Trump train, woo, woo (ph). Cecily Strong is saying goodbye to Saturday Night Live. And in many ways, that was Ken. And then I thought, what if these two modern guys, instead of stumbling on a town that has a werewolf, stumbled on a town that was in a musical? The co-production with Off-Broadway's The Shed . These Cecily Strong "SNL" performances were more than strong. It's a nice melody. A married couple, played by Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key, have gotten lost in the woods and emerged to find themselves in a small town called Schmigadoon. And he was trying to help me find things. And, actually, I flew out of the chair the first time because, you know, I hadn't done much physical comedy on the show at all. And, you know, even, like, operas have, like, songs like that, where there's, you know, like, a festival or, you know, a picnic or something. 'Schmigadoon!' And she used the playbill and a lot of those pictures. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, singing) Every steak's bound to have some fat. Rapper Jack Harlow was the . Our countdown includes Princess Jasmine, Gemma, Cathy Anne, and more! This is FRESH AIR. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #7: (As character, singing) Who wants corn puddin'? Meet Cecily Strong's Partner: The Actress' Secretive Love Life Details. But I certainly - I remember getting to go backstage after "Secret Garden." Mere hours before the December 17 show, it was revealed that the 38-year-old comedian would be making her final appearance on the late-night . GROSS: And this was pretty early in the pandemic, right? When we left off, we were talking about her characters on "SNL.". Thanks for finally letting a woman on late night TV. And it was like, I really was thinking about those two things as nice options and had to tell my mom. PAUL: What would be the worst possible song to subject him to, you know? STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party) Here's a thought, Michael - maybe try being woke for a change, OK? Which - a lot of your memoir is about living through the pandemic, like, the first almost year of the pandemic. GROSS: Cecily Strong, welcome to FRESH AIR. It's such a contrast for me seeing the joy in "Schmigadoon!" I am just trying to figure out how to get out of here and get back to reality. MsMojo 2010s snl cast memembers where are they now 2010s snl cast members 2010 saturday night live cast members jay pharoah taran killam vanessa bayer aidy bryant kristen wiig leslie jones bobby moynihan cecily . And so it makes me want to, like, poke harder. And you're being, you know, waited on by a - you know, a very lovely, very young (laughter) waitress. STRONG: That's usually just Colin and I. . The reason there's a nomination is because it was a really strong year during a really tough time. in season Host(s) Musical guest Original air date U.S. viewers (millions) 931: 1: Miles Teller: Kendrick Lamar: October 1, 2022 (): 4.02: Kendrick Lamar performs a medley of "Rich Spirit" and "N95" for his first set and "Father Time" with Sampha for his second.Jon Hamm and Shaun White appear in the cold open. 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