Strong has been a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" since 2012. (SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE SHEARING'S "THINKING OF YOU"). And then they went, oh, wait a minute; there's one more pocket. I'm like, well, live with my brother for a week and tell me you don't think psych meds are good. And so I think they thought that might be a good outlet for me. A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousinand embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught heramid the coronavirus pandemic. And I guess there's also "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man Of Mine" (ph) - you know, these women who sing songs where, you know, he has maybe these flaws, but I still love him, you know? Can we please go now? He's, like, a really big Broadway producer. I think my favorite character that you've been doing lately is Judge Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News host. - for the greater world - someone else can judge - luckily or not, but she became more popular and more of a household name. And I was just part of a wave of kids who were expelled. (As characters, singing) Then he says something mean to get her back. I wound up being lucky and getting to go to the Catholic school I went to. Extra-dirty vodka Martinis - they're so easy to drink! STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) And Colin, I just want to take this opportunity to say hi to my super fans out there. And so I think, more than anything, it made me realize, like, that's what depression does to you. 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? Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. And then one is the older sort of father figure love interest, you know, that you see in "King And I" and "Sound Of Music" and "South Pacific." This was performed after Pirro made anti-Muslim remarks about Representative Ilhan Omar. GROSS: Cinco Paul, welcome to FRESH AIR. Good. I'm sure that's why I ended up writing movies. And I should mention here that you now - you bought a home in the Hudson Valley, which is outside of New York City. But she kept going, what? If I think that he's laughing at something, I'll want to hit that harder. And "Corn Puddin'" suddenly came to me as just a - it's kind of the perfect representation of these sort of songs like the - it's "A Real Nice Clambake." STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) And it may be a waste. STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) Can't do it, pal. Yeah, I got handcuffed and brought to a cop car and taken to the station. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party) And I'm sorry - if I could play devil's advocate 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. It was like as soon as I started singing, I knew what to say. 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. OK, so here's "He's A Queer One," and this is Ann Harada singing. And this is from the February 20, 2017, edition of "Saturday Night Live." GROSS: That's pretty great. ", which is now streaming on Apple TV+. You not only - because you were expelled, you not only weren't allowed to attend the ceremony; you weren't allowed within a three-block radius of where the ceremony was, and you were threatened with arrest if you overstepped that boundary. I love the show so much. It was a McDonald's commercial that never aired. STRONG: Right. Hi. 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 . This is FRESH AIR. The town looks like a stage or movie set from the early 20th century. And I wound up writing a lot of my "Update" characters with him or sort of those - anybody that's a real - you know, I write Marjorie Taylor Greene with him, and we did Sidney Powell together this year, too. Of course I love you. Oh, he'll have to marry me. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So you don't really love me? GROSS: Cinco Paul wrote all the songs for the satirical musical series "Schmigadoon!" You have to do people that everybody knows. PAUL: You know, when we were early on conceiving of the show and the journeys that our characters would take, I really wanted Cecily's character Melissa to be involved in what I think are the two big tropes in these old musicals. FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Thanks for finally letting a woman on late-night TV. Do you remember it? What was it like for you to go from this heightened sense of anxiety and depression to flying to - was it Vancouver? All rights reserved. So if he wants my puddin', he'll have to marry me. STRONG: It's actually - I mean, it's funny timing. He also co-wrote the animated films "Despicable Me," "The Secret Life Of Pets," and "Horton Hears A Who.". 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 it would, like, end in some crazy, like, exclamation. But she kept going, what? And you kind of have a song parodying that called "Corn Puddin'.". . It was gorgeous. And then it ends in a very - you know, Ann does an amazing job with the song, and it ends in a really sweet spot - right? But if you've got some extry (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. She co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers and then Colin Jost but stepped down, preferring to do sketch comedy. There must be a lobby somewhere that is making sure that that's still taught in schools. JOST: That's great. She has no clue that he's gay, but she knows that, you know, he's different from the other men. GROSS: Cecily Strong, welcome to FRESH AIR. I'm sorry. STRONG: I almost enjoy it more to see when someone's laughing. GROSS: That was another scene from "Schmigadoon!," which stars my guest, Cecily Strong, and Keegan-Michael Key. GROSS: How were you introduced to music of that period? Cecily Strong. It's - so I just don't know for sure yet. During a 2021 interview with Terry Gross on the National Public Radio program Fresh Air, she said that because her uncle is a Broadway producer, as a child she often got to go to . And - yeah. No - 'cause I - I mean, we shot in - last fall. This is FRESH AIR. Could be fun. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) It's just a lover's spat. And she just told me she's got COVID. But I certainly - I remember getting to go backstage after "Secret Garden." And I just - I did theater. And you can't have love without having a lover's spat. The townspeople are singing and dancing as if they're in an old musical. He's, like, a really big Broadway producer. And actually, my dad took a bunch of pictures. GROSS: Well, I hope your mom, like, recovers really soon. I did, like, a video for kids - for schools to show about kids with parents with drug and alcohol problems. She is the cast member of SNL since 2012. The series is streaming on Apple TV+. But I want to play the theme song from this because I think it's you and Ken actually singing the song. It went to dress and not to air. . She stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!" 4. The reason there's a nomination is because it was a really strong year during a really tough time. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, singing) Every steak's bound to have some fat. In case you are wondering about his identity, Jack is an international traveler. STRONG: No. She Knows Broadway Well. STRONG: Yes. This Mueller report completely exonerated the president, and therefore everybody on the Trump train, woo, woo (ph). And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. I got the recipe. centers on a couple who gets trapped in a town where people burst into song. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) I think they want us to take a verse. Let's take another break here. and "The Lorax.". And this is how important it is to manage it. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) Never had corn puddin'. And I started, you know - I would - I had to tell my mom because there was a couple of nights - I shared a car with my brother at this time. STRONG: Yes. 'Cause Kevin can wait, but Syrian refugees can't, OK? And I loved school, so it was really tough being expelled. GROSS: And he's not just a Broadway producer. - which is now streaming on Apple TV+. STRONG: Well, first of all, just thank you for saying that. But I was just always performing around the house. She's created some great characters for the show. And I think you're probably not wrong. 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. PAUL: The songs really should move the story forward in some way. She's taken all these concepts and just turned them into something confusing and wrong that she's very passionate about. And they embraced me. And it's - more than anything, it's like, watching my brother deal with his own depression, and it's like how I feel about mine. PAUL: Yeah, I mean, that was the intention. And then just being loud and overenunciating and trying to have a stern look. You don't land a job with SNL without being funny. I was a new cast member. GROSS: Did you get to meet the actors? GROSS: Well, I wish you well. Six episodes at approximately 30 minutes each.) And I think they knew that about me. GROSS: Another little clue. I saw "Guys And Dolls." I only wish that nightly he were slightly more aggressive. GROSS: They didn't connect to the world I lived in. PAUL: (Singing) So now that there's COVID-19 PAUL AND DAURIO: (Singing) Here's what we're going to do. Cecily Strong first joined SNL as a featured player in 2012. Cinco Paul serves as showrunner, and wrote all of the original music for the series. Why couldn't we cross? STRONG: I mean, I think I just felt smaller and smaller and smaller. She's also . You know, I was a straight-A student up until then. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Oh, I think they want us to take a verse. So they'll be - I think that'll brighten her day. And so we'll hear Cecily Strong doing a little solo in part of this as Keegan-Michael Key objects (laughter) to her participation. Because at "Update," you only get to rehearse on Saturday, really. Please, no song. Here's all the safety measures - until I finally felt safe. And she has a new memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon." Strong, who joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 2012, received several accolades for her impersonations of Melania Trump, Fox News host, Judge Jeanine Pirro, and many others. Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, producer, author, and singer. Now Emmy-nominated actress Cecily Strong slides through the tour-de-force roles created by the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning writer Jane Wagner who is reimagining the legendary one-person play . Keegan-Michael Key's character hates musicals and is desperate to leave. And so that's partly why I just wasn't even there. GROSS: That's really funny. And he - you know, he had had depression for a long time. PAUL: Yeah, it's called "Make Him Watch It," and we make each other watch a movie we've never seen before. So you must have had this idea early on that being in shows was something real people did. GROSS: That's really funny. Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? Like, what word - what is, like, a word that's in the social lexicon of the moment that this girl would hear and say wrong? You know, we were getting ready for one of those - I think they were two "Update" specials because it was an election year. And she's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) No - oh, no, that's not OK - unless it's consensual. The entire town and you just spent the last five minutes singing about corn pudding. I mean, first of all, it's really funny to have someone who hates musicals be stuck in a musical but also for him to be the eyes and ears of the people unlike me, who don't love musicals. She is best known for being a cast member of Saturday Night Live. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, singing) You can't plow a field without hitting some stone. Luckily for us, but maybe - who knows for the greater world - someone else can judge luckily or not, but she became more popular and more of a household name. She has over 500k followers on her Instagram. He co-created and co-wrote the series with Ken Daurio. Being a regular member of The Second City and iO Chicago. And there was no lines; it was all facial expressions. And I think my uncle probably didn't want me to be an actor as much as I did, just knowing that it was a tough life. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Oh, he'll have to marry me. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #5: (As character) Did somebody say corn puddin'? because everyone in it seems to be enjoying being in it so much. GROSS: So the Cecily Strong character loves musicals. It's not like I drove myself. 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