Maya Rudolph ‘Hadn’t Spoken to Anyone’ When the Internet Confirmed Her Return as Kamala Harris on ‘SNL’
Maya Rudolph may not have even been in the main cast when then-Senator Kamala Harris began her ascendancy to the Vice Presidency, but that didn’t stop Lorne Michaels from giving her a call and having her swing on back to Studio 8H for a few sketches.
Since then, Rudolph has appeared as Harris on “Saturday Night Live” 10 times, winning Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2020 and 2021 for her performance and having been nominated this year once again. Despite this pedigree, in a recent interview with Variety, Rudolph admitted that being asked to play Harris during her run for the highest office in the land came as a bit of a shock.
More from IndieWire
“It’s a huge compliment,” she said. “But it was also very bizarre, because I woke up to an article saying that I was confirmed to play her — and I hadn’t spoken to anyone!”
With her commitment to her Apple TV+ series “Loot,” for which she is nominated in the Lead Actress in a Comedy category this year at the Emmy Awards, Rudolph knew squeezing in “SNL” would be difficult, especially considering she doesn’t even live in New York.
“It’s definitely going to impact my fall,” Rudolph told Variety. “I have already heard from a lot of realtors in New York. I think the day of the announcement that she was running, some lady yelled at me across the parking lot, ‘Getting ready for New York?!’”
Despite the logistical challenges of taking on this role, Rudolph completely understood the gift she’d been given of getting to portray the first Black female of South Asian descent to be a major political party’s Presidential nominee. Moreover, she even has Harris’ stamp of approval.
“This is so much bigger than me, and this is about something very important,” Rudolph said. “I’m thrilled to be associated with it, and I’m also glad that I’ve played her and everyone’s cool with it. She likes it.”
Discussing how she created her version of Harris, Rudolph explained how the first thing she clung onto was the joy the Vice President exudes.
“I said, ‘When I see her, I see her having fun,’” said Rudolph. “And so the fictional Kamala that we created tapped into her fun. And then [‘SNL’ producer] Steve Higgins said to me that his wife called her a ‘fun aunt,’ and we were laughing at how that sounds like ‘funt.’ We just went from there. That was the moment where you realize, ‘Oh, now I know how to do this.’”
This isn’t the first time Rudolph has gotten a crack at playing a major political leader either. During her tenure on “SNL” as an official cast member, Michaels tested her out as a possible option for then-candidate Barack Obama, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.
“There was a moment of asking me to step up and try,” said Rudolph. “And we did try for dress rehearsal. Sadly, Obama was there and had to see me dressed as him. We both laughed heartily, and thank God that never made it to air.”
Best of IndieWire
Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See
'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie
The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
