Kristen Wiig: Hey guys.
Question: How are you doing?
Kristen Wiig: Good.
Q: My wife says youâre the funniest woman on âSaturday Night Liveâ.
Kristen Wiig: Well, tell her thatâs very nice and thank you.
Q: Is this a great year for women on âSNLâ?
Kristen: I think so. I think Amy and Maya are unbelievable. I think we have a good group.
I was going to say does it feel like your career is all of a sudden hitting the stratosphere because it seems like youâre involved with a lot of projects--a lot of stuff upcoming?
Kristen: It doesnât feel that way to me maybe just becauseâIâm defiantly grateful for everything and Iâm surprised that Iâm even like doing this. I donât know. Itâs all very surreal to me. It hasnât quite hit me yet I donât think.
Whatâs the secret of playing a character like this in a movie like this? Is it keeping it real and not be aware of the absurdity?
Kristen: Yeah, we triedâI think thatâs one of the reasons why it workedâthis movieâ¦especially John. Heâs so committed to being this guy. Itâs almost like does âDewey Coxâ really exist? Is he a real person because heâs playing him so well? Because thereâs so many absurd things in the movie I think we had to somewhat be kind of based in reality and have the music be really good just to make it make sense.
You have a particular challenge I think of juggling babies while you wereâ¦
Kristen: Yeah, there were a lot of babies. A lot of babies and animals around. Iâd never worked with 1 baby let alone 50 that were filling around the set. Like coming out of cupboards and stuff. No, I was more nervous than I needed to be I think because I thought it was going to be like crying babies like crawling up my body. Like attack of the babiesâbecause they made it seem like youâre going to have a million kids in this movie and youâre going to look terrible and youâre going to always be pregnant. Those were like the 3 things they told me. And I was like yeah, of course Iâll do it. They were sweet. The moms were right there and you know it was fine.
How were the moms? We they very like hands on?
Kristen: In a good way though. They would hold them until like the last minute and kind of like weâd get familiar with each other and hand them off, then Iâd give them back.
What about the fun part about this movie is one of your 1st scenes when you play a 12 year old?
Kristen: Yes.
Did you harp back to your own childhood?
Kristen: I looked at a lot of old pictures. No. Yeah, just some extra makeup and a ponytail and we can all look 12.
No, I wouldnât say exactly that.
Kristen: Well, youâd put your baseball hat on like crooked.
The movie is about 90 minutes or so, and there was a lot of stuff that was cut. Was there any sequence that you were in that you were sad to see go?
Kristen: Only because there was a little injury. I was thinking that maybe that would make it in. We did a scene where it was just going to be part of a montage of Dewey and I fighting and beating each other up and then looking at each other with passion and then coming in and kissing each other. But we both went in really, really hard on the 1st take and like busted each otherâs lips open. Like my lip was bleeding and we had an ice packs on and we just had to fake it after that and it didnât make it in the movie after all that.
And regarding this season at âSNLâ, has there been a specific sketch or episode or moment this season thatâs really, before the strike, that stood out for you? Something you really enjoyed?
Kristen: Oh my gosh. Like of anyoneâs in the show?
Like maybe a sketch you were in or just a host?
Kristen: Brian Williams was a highlight for me. He was really, really funny. I knew him briefly before we did the show but I also knew that so many people wanted to see how he was going to be as a host because heâs such a serious news guy. He was up for anything and heâs really, really funny. I was excited to see him do so well.
And youâre in a few upcoming projects like âGhost Townâ with Ricky Gervais. Youâre doing âAdventurelandâ. You have a lot of stuff. Could you talk a little bit about these upcoming roles?
Kristen: Sure. Well, âGhost Townâ is a small role, I play a surgeon that didnât do very good surgery on Ricky Gervais and have a couple awkward conversations with him about that. And then âAdventurelandâ was written by Greg Matolla who did âSuperbadâ and directed âSuperbadâ. Bill Hader and I play a husband and wife who run an amusement park but not very well. Itâs a trend. Iâm doing these jobs but not very well. Then another movie I really very proud of is called âPretty Birdâ that I just got into⦠itâs a competition film at Sundance. So Iâm very excited about that.
I wanted to know, could you talk a little bit about working with
Kristen: Paul Giamatti or Snyder? I only worked with him 1 day and it was a scene where weâre all sitting there. He had to come in and yell at us. I was legitimately scared because heâs such an amazing actor and performer. He was like turning red and he was so angry. I was like in aweâlike the crew. Everyone was watching that day. It was unbelievable. Iâm such a huge fan of his.
Are you going?
Kristen: I donât know yet. It depends if weâre back at work at âSNLâ or not if the strike ends.
I was going to of course say were you a fan of Ricky Gervais?
Kristen: Oh, Iâm like a nerd about him. Yeah, Iâm a huge âOffice,â âExtras,â I love him. Yeah.
Thereâs an âExtrasâ Christmas finale coming up very soon.
Kristen: Oh, good.
Which is a finale of the whole show.
Kristen: Oh good. Iâm sad itâs ending butâ¦
Whatâs been the experience been like of the non-aired âSNLâsâ that have been happening during the strike. People getting together and â¦
Kristen: We just did one show at UCV in New York and it was really, really fun. Michael Cera was the host and yeah, it was like a real show. We had a musical guest and we had our cue cards and our stage manager was there. It was all sketches that had been written before that had never made it on the air and the writers could kind of submit the sketch that they wanted to do. It was really fun.
Will you do it again?
Kristen: I donât know. I think it depends with the strikeâ¦I donât know how longâ¦and yeah I donât know. Everythingâs kind of up in the air right now.
What else are you doing during this downtime?
Kristen: Well, I shot the âGhost Townâ movie and came out here and organizing my bureau at home. Trying to go picket and yeah, just hoping it all comes together soon and we find a resolution.
Do you think that the studios will come to their senses?
Kristen: Yes, I am. I am. Iâm optimistic. Iâm putting it out there. Yes.
Is âPretty Birdâ a drama?
Kristen: Itâs listed as a comedy but its at least a dark comedy.
Is that a particular desire for you to work in drama after being in comedy for so long?
Kristen: Yes, definitely. I hope that people will give me a chance to do that. I would love to. Definitely would love to.
What attracted you to that project? I know itâs about somebody who built a rocket belt.
Kristen: Rocket belt. Yeah. The script was one of the best scripts that I had read and I literally was like I will do the smallest part in this movie. I just loved it. I met with Paul and heâs just an amazing artist. He had this whole book of⦠kind of his vision of the movie and different scenes and how he wanted the feel to be and I just knew it was going to be an really incredible project. Plus Paul Giamatti and Billy Cruddup you canât go wrong with those.
Who directed that?
Kristen: Paul Snyder.
Is this your first film that youâve been in thatâs made it into Sundance?
Kristen: Yes. Itâs a huge dream of mine, so Iâm really excited about that.
Youâve never been to Sundance before I take it?
Kristen: No.
Have fun.
Kristen: Thank you. I hope I can go.
And I wanted to know, could you talk a little bit about working with
Kristen: Not particularly private. I mean, weâd joke around a lot and he was a normal kind of regular guy. He was really sweet. We had to kiss in the movie and it was the first time I really had to have an on-screen like moment of passion. He was very patient and good with me because I was nervous.
And if we could jump back into âAdventurelandâ for a second. This is Matollaâs follow up to âSuper Badâ. Could you just talk a little bit more about the film and what he was like directing? I know this was a passionate project for him.
Kristen: Yes, the script was really funny. Heâs a very actor friendly director. He kind of wants to hear your take on things and I would love to be able to work with him again. He was just an easy, laid back, never got frustrated kind of guy. And heâs super talented. There you go. I hope he hears that.
When you make a parody movie thereâs an inference that you donât think highly of the movie that it parodied. How do you like things like âWalk the Lineâ?
Kristen: Oh, âWalk the Lineâ is one of my favorite movies of the year last year. Was it last year or 2 years ago?
It was 2 years ago.
Kristen: Anyway, I really liked it. I love watching those movies. I think people like to see the lives of artists that are legends. They always go through the dark periods and I think just as humans we like to see that and them coming out of it. I love those kinds of movies.
I think itâs a risk when you do parodies and the satire of âSaturday Night Liveâ is that people might assume you could be kind of a cynical person.
Kristen: Yeah, I think understanding that itâs not making fun of anything in particular but just taking a comedic look at things that most people think of as serious. I never think if I do an impression of someone, Iâm never making fun of them. I think this movie is just taking the very typical storyline that a lot of those movies have of just them being discovered at a young age and getting married and having lovers and the drugs. I mean a lot of them really do follow that same storyline so I think thatâs kind of what they took that and ran with it.
Have you ever met anybody that youâve impersonated?
Kristen: Yeah, I have. Drew Barrymore. I did an impression of her on the show, but I love Drew Barrymore and she had a great attitude about it of course. She thought it was funny. I think thatâs it actually.
You were in the biggest sketch that probably âSNLâ has ever done which is
Kristen: Yes, youâre the first person to ask me about that.
Iâm curious when you were making it, did you know what it was and are you surprised by how many peopleâhow that caught on?
Kristen: Yes and no. I knew when I just heard the song that this was going to beâ¦people were going to like it and laugh and showing up on-set and just seeing everyoneâs costumes and the crazy set that we had. I knew that I would think it was funny and you never expect the reaction that you really get. This was like huge. So many people were that for Halloween. It was crazy. So I did expect it because I knew it was funny, but you never expect the level to which it goes.
Were you at a Halloween party where someone came in dressed like that?
Kristen: No, but I saw a lot of pictures of people. I think Nick Lachey wasâ¦wasnât he one? Am I getting that wrong?
Kristen: Nick in the Box, thatâs good. Yes.
You were so good in âKnocked Upâ and I was just wondering is Judd writing for you or do you go and read for him?
Kristen: Well, âKnocked Upâ was the first time I ever worked with him so I auditioned for that role and Seth Rogan and I were improvising and they just told me to kind of do it a bunch of different ways and he hired me for that movie and then this movie I auditioned as well and went in and John was there. I think he likes to see the chemistry too between the actors because John C. Reilly was there and we improvised for like 15 minutes and it was really fun.
Do you think that will be on the DVD?
Kristen: Oh God, I donât know. Maybe.
Are there any extra stuff that weâre going to see on the DVD that you remember? Because the first cut of this movie was like 4 hours long.
Kristen: Oh yeah Iâm sure because there was a lot of improvising Iâm sure the DVD is going to be likeâyouâd give yourself a couple of days to watch it.
Youâve seen the movie, right?
Kristen: I have seen it, yes.
Is there anything that was cut that youâd hope would make it on the DVD?
Kristen: Maybe when we bust each otherâs lips open. Just seeing us go in and then recoil back and cover our mouths would be funny to see. Iâm sure there are other things but I donât remember.
How close do you come on âSNLâ to just breaking and losing it?
Kristen: I am determined not to do that. I try very hard. Itâs really hard sometimes. Also I know me that when I start laughing Iâm like gone and I canât recover.
Do you still have the fear when itâs about to startâthat live TVâplease donât break?
Kristen: Yes, I do. Thereâs a lot of biting of the inner lip on the side of my mouth when somethingâs very funny. I just like bit the side of my mouth.
Whoâs the worst at doing that?
Kristen: Of breaking? I donât know. We donât really do it that much. We really try not to.
Who most often brings you to that point where youâre about toâ¦?
Kristen: Will Forte hands down. I laugh. He just says one word and I laugh.