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I dont know if youve heard, but its tough out there for women.
Debette Goldry has been gracingSaturday Night Livefor two years now.
My version of it was much dumber and with zero layers.
It was just someone who was extremely old presenting an award.
She was much less interesting and layered, and it was not about anything in particular.
And then I wrote a sketch version of it a couple months before I got hired.
But then I said, Oh, I also have this character, maybe for Kate.
And they said I should go write that with her.
I didnt realize that I was allowed to just, like,talkto the cast.
I thought everyone had their own writers, and there were rules about that.
But anyone can write with anyone, which came as a complete surprise.
It was my first week, and I was still really overwhelmed.
But my friendSudi Greenworked there, and she wrote it with me and Kate.
It all just made sense.
It was a shock to have something work right away.
I was very much prepared to fail for a long time before anyone heard my voice at all.
Why was that a shock?It was an election year.
So I was expecting to sort of blend in, or just not have that focus right away.
I was really lucky to have Sudi.
She had been there for a year before I got hired.
Thats what Sudi was doing for me.
But Im not great at knowing actual facts.
Im great at knowing the general gist of something.
Sudi also loves old Hollywood stuff, and she watches a lot of documentaries and interviews with old actresses.
And she was really good at knowing things about …
I dont want to say anyone in particular because theyre not just characters.
These people have families.
But these stories are so insane.
That might be deep-cut information.
So then when #MeToo happened, it kind of shifted the dynamic of the sketch.
Its just funnier, and now its insidious.
You have to be a lot smarter if youre going to mistreat women.
You have to at least pay lip service to the idea of not treating women like absolute trash.
We definitely felt that when we did this one last week.
We worried that might have killed the sketch character.
They need to stop marrying us off to chimps.
And the modern actresses say, That does not happen.
Its nice seeing an older actress character whos an ally to this movement and okay with calling stuff out.
Im also not going to name names, so we have camaraderie about that.Thanks.
But there are some older actresses who are very Take your lumps.
This is the way it is.
Quit being a baby.I get that, too.
You dont get to just unlearn your way of dealing with trauma.
Lets talk about that fake neck!Oh my God, yes!
Louie is our makeup person.
He makes so many necks and noses and earlobes.
They do face and neck casts of the whole cast when they get hired.
Its called a wattle these hideous plasticky, rubbery things that get taped onto these gorgeous people.
I feel bad anytime I write anything that involves someone having something spirit-gummed to their face.
But its really magical.
The first time we did [Debette], at dress, she had a lymph-node leak.
And it shot clear fluid onto someone.
So the first version of the neck had a pump that would shoot fluids.
We were given the note to c’mon not have that happen.
When do you know to bring back a recurring character?
Usually anytime theres a female host, we talk about doing a Debette.
But you dont want to bring it back too many times.
WhenChris Pine hosted, he wanted to do one.
That got cut after dress.
And I opened it, and one of the GIFs was Debette.
And I sent it to Sudi, and she was like, We should do it this week.
And I was like, Okay.
That is such a shitty story, but it is simply what happened.
Im also obsessed with Sandra Oh, and it was cool that she could play her.
Its such a look, and I had just watched the SAG-AFTRAKilling Evepanel.
She is such a good impression for that kind of thing.
I watchedScarfacefor the first time recently huge brag!
and its Al Pacino and whatever boy actor whos with him, playing basketball.
And behind them are all Cuban extras.
It was such a practice for so long, and it still happens.
Its kind of the whole ethos of the Debette character.
These things are so hideous, but theyre so obvious that its almost funny.
And almost funny is my brand, so that really works.
