PAUL: The songs really should move the story forward in some way. They smoke and drink and yell, leave you flat, or, even worse, they stay and make life hell. And it's like, you don't know what corn puddin' is? And I should mention here that you now - you bought a home in the Hudson Valley, which is outside of New York City. This is FRESH AIR. GROSS: We're listening to my interview with Cinco Paul. (SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE SHEARING'S "THINKING OF YOU"). CECILY STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) I don't understand. And so we played with that in two ways. And she's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." GROSS: And this was pretty early in the pandemic, right? I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of it. 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 . But I didn't really know what to do with it, so it was one of those that I just filed away. This was performed after Pirro made anti-Muslim remarks about Representative Ilhan Omar. STRONG: Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Then she complains that he don't understand her. This election is a misgrace (ph), OK? Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Schmigadoon, where the Sun shines bright from July to June and the air's as sweet as a macaroon, Schmigadoon - Schmigadoon, where it's warm and safe as a new cocoon and our hearts all glow like a harvest moon, Schmigadoon - Schmigadoon, where the men are men and the cows are cows and the farmers smile as we push their plows. I'm so proud of the work he's done and who he is and how far he's come - and just a thing that he deals with and why I'm - you know, people have a lot of thoughts and opinions on psych meds and everything. GROSS: What was the impact of that on you? She is the cast member of SNL since 2012. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. The series is streaming on Apple TV+. GROSS: You did you first paid gig when you were 10. And even on the tape - like, they do your expulsion hearings, and they're taping it. If you're a nerd, just be a nerd. And my mom made a little poster for me for my room growing up that said Cecily on Broadway. So it is more of a romantic comedy, and it can be more about, what does love mean? It was a McDonald's commercial that never aired. . And I had that above my bed until we - I moved out - I think, till I went to college. She has a new memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon," and she stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!," a satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. And then just being loud and over annunciating and trying to have a stern look, you know? One is the bad boy, you know, which is the Billy Bigelow character. JOST: You don't have to shout, you know. No - 'cause I - I mean, we shot in - last fall. It's so, like, vaudeville era. (SOUNDBITE OF MARVIN HAMLISCH'S "MULTI-TASKING"). KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Would you leave us alone for just a minute? 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. GROSS: And so the reason why they're singing about corn pudding is it's their first morning in town. You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I'm not saying anything, but apparently some cosmic verdict has been reached, and we failed. We're leaving. Cecily Strong. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Just 'cause you feuded don't mean that you're concluded. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR. And then he turns off the tape to say, like, oh, and off the record, you're a great student, and we're sorry to lose you. You know, there were a lot of tears on-set - happy tears - just so much love and so much joy and such - we were all just so honored to be there, and it felt like we got to share this magical thing. And I'm really - I'm so proud of everybody. Cecily Strong had a special bond with her cousin Owen. They just performed, you know? PAUL: Yeah, it's called "Make Him Watch It," and we make each other watch a movie we've never seen before. Pick a womanany woman!and she can probably make the character really sing. 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." And it almost cost me my brother. GROSS: And so is that one of the things you wanted to play with - also the idea that, like, love can totally transform a person into - you know, a kind of stern, rigid person into a much more loving, lovely person? Was this all through movies? STRONG: No. You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. PAUL: Well, it's kind of crazy. Cecily Strong's character loves musicals and is initially charmed. Did you get to go backstage? - which is now streaming on Apple TV+. And I think, you know, whatever name is next to an Emmy nomination, it still feels like everybody there is a part of that - why there's a nomination. 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. 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? What was it like for you to go from this heightened sense of anxiety and depression to flying to - was it Vancouver? I think I took my first drama class when I was 3. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So what? She's making her New York stage debut in the one-woman show "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," opening at the Shed. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Oh, I think they want us to take a verse. Yeah, I got handcuffed and brought to a cop car and taken to the station. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) We already tried together. So they'll be - I think that'll brighten her day. We're leaving. GROSS: And who did you think of as being the girl? Yum. 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 . It's not like I drove myself. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. She's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." And I was enjoying watching it so much. That strikes me as a little bit crazy. And she's vaccinated. GROSS: They didn't connect to the world I lived in. She was playing Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro, a frequent highlight of "Weekend Update," sloshing her booze onto co-anchor Colin Jost . Can you believe this, that we lost Hal, you know? And she recommends the corn puddin'. Six episodes at approximately 30 minutes each.) (Carolyn Van Houten / Chicago Tribune) . And I'd go, well, tonight I'm going to either - I'll just keep driving. He co-created, co-wrote and wrote all the songs for the series "Schmigadoon!" And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. During her youth, she often attended Broadway shows, thanks to her uncle's career as a Broadway producer, and she sometimes got to meet the casts. He co-created, co-wrote and wrote all the songs for the series "Schmigadoon! And then just being loud and overenunciating and trying to have a stern look. Please, no song. And I think a lot of that, you can feel it when you watch the show. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) That's fantastic. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"). God, this whole musical is so much fun. Thank you so much. She co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers and then Colin Jost but stepped down, preferring to do sketch comedy. that's streaming on Apple TV+, and she has a new memoir. 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. And my mom made a little poster for me for my room growing up that said Cecily on Broadway. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) I got us corn puddin'. So - but talk about writing this and what you wanted to do with it. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Oh, she sure would like a taste. And it was "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." So we did her on "Update.". And actually, my dad took a bunch of pictures. Let's start with "Schmigadoon!," which is filled with references to classic musicals, like "Oklahoma!," "Carousel," "The Music Man," "The Sound Of Music" and, of course, "Brigadoon." UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. During her youth, she often attended Broadway shows, thanks to her uncle's career as a . STRONG: Thank you. But I want to play the theme song from this because I think it's you and Ken actually singing the song. And whatever you decide to do about "Saturday Night Live," I wish you well. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) No - oh, no, that's not OK - unless it's consensual. It was my first year talking with Colin. You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. And she used the playbill and a lot of those pictures. If you're just joining us, my guest is Cinco Paul, and he co-created, co-wrote and then wrote all the songs for the satirical musical series "Schmigadoon! And she stars in the new series "Schmigadoon! And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. What did it feel like to be honest and say, I'm not ready, I can't do it yet? Stop. GROSS: Because she has gaydar and no one in the town does (laughter). She's created some great characters for the show. GROSS: Did you get to meet the actors? And then I remembered, like, hearing my straight male friends talk about interactions that they'd had, like, with some girl that seems normal, and then it's like, oh, she just said something crazy, and how do I get out of this conversation? It's still - and I think, like, even though that seems crazy to say in the middle of summer, I think it's been a wild couple of years, and so I'm just - I'm OK with not knowing. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Yum. GROSS: Cinco Paul, welcome to FRESH AIR. 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. GROSS: (Laughter) I like that idea, the square dancing lobby. My guest, Cecily Strong, is nominated for an Emmy for the second year in a row for her work on "Saturday Night Live." There's a song called "Something Wonderful" from "King And I" and another song from "Carousel" called "What's The Use Of Wond'rin?" is initially really charmed by the idea that they're, like, living in a world of a musical. (As characters, singing) Then she complains that he don't understand her. Strong has been a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" since 2012. I'm Terry Gross. It was only really one episode that I missed and I really wanted to be there. That was so weird. And you had a boyfriend who got a bad case of COVID, but fortunately not bad enough to end up in the hospital, and he recovered. 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? I know from your new memoir that when "Saturday Night Live" did some episodes with everybody at home, that you were - you didn't want to participate at first, and you didn't do one or two of the shows because you just didn't feel ready to perform, I mean, because you really were in a serious state of depression and anxiety. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Are you serious? And I wound up never stopping. STRONG: No, I would - it feels great because, this past year especially, I'm just - I'm so proud of the show and being a part of the show. GROSS: Some musicals have really corny scenes in them, and the kind of scene that always bores me is the picnic scene where it's like, this was a real nice clambake. In her second season, she co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers and then Colin Jost. Frank DiLella talks to "Saturday Night Live" star Cecily Strong about making her New York City theater debut in the revival of the one-woman Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner play "The Search For Signs of . GROSS: Let's hear you as the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) Never had had corn puddin'. Are you reverting to that level of fear again? We'll be right back after we take a short break. I saw my first Marx Brothers movie when I was 10 on TV, and I fell in love with the Marx Brothers and became obsessed. PAUL: What would be the worst possible song to subject him to, you know? Yeah. But she left the desk, preferring to do sketch comedy, which she's great at. But if you've got some extry (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. 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. You know, the first show we did, we did the table read on Wednesday. We'll be right back. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) We want corn puddin'. He's become a little more of a fan. 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. JOST: That's great. Did you get to go backstage? This is FRESH AIR. If you're just joining us, my guest is Cecily Strong. I need to get - I have to practice this fall. Strong, 35, has been on SNL since 2012, joining alongside current . I think there's nothing more thrilling than hearing Terry Gross likes (laughter) your show and (laughter) enjoys it and has joy from it. Thanks for finally letting a woman on late-night TV. I'll do anything. You just really got her down (laughter). Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party) And newsflash, Michael - 40% of children are just their legs. - in late September usually. That's called a double standard. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Guys, we're actually in the middle of something. Andrew Singer executive produces with Lorne Michaels on behalf of Broadway Video. I met Daisy Eagen. 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 . So if he wants my puddin', he'll have to marry me. GROSS: All right. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) But not together. 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. Actress, writer, producer, and all-around comedy titan Cecily Strong has built up quite the resume over the last few years. Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? And he was showing me clips of her, like, doing man on the street interviews. It's - so I just don't know for sure yet. (As characters, singing) Then he says something mean to get her back. It just felt like, I've fallen through the cracks. And you're being, you know, waited on by a - you know, a very lovely, very young (laughter) waitress. So here's another scene from "Schmigadoon!". And my guest, Cinco Paul, co-created the series, co-wrote it and wrote all the songs. Strong said that because her uncle is a Broadway producer, . GROSS: So let's talk a little bit about your work on "Saturday Night Live." 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: Why don't we hear "Corn Puddin'"? STRONG: You know, we definitely loved the exclamations, you know, saving those for the - what. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Come on, could be fun. This one-woman show was a Broadway hit in 1985 and starred Lily Tomlin as 12 characters, something Cecily Strong seems very well-suited for. Apple TV+ today released the trailer for its new musical comedy series "Schmigadoon!," executive produced by Lorne Michaels and starring Emmy Award nominee Cecily Strong and Emmy Award winner Keegan-Michael Key. STRONG: That's usually just Colin and I. 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 . UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character, singing) You can't eat a fish without getting some bones. I was a new cast member. And I just - I did theater. COLIN JOST: (As himself) Fox News personality Judge Jeanine Pirro returned to television tonight after being suspended two weeks for controversial comments about a Muslim congresswoman. We all know that so many performers on Broadway historically have been gay, and it's only in recent years that they've been able to be out. I - you know, it's hard. Rapper Jack Harlow was the . So let's talk a little bit about your work on "Saturday Night Live." We'll be right back after a short break. Mama's got one volume, and it's three chardonnays deep at a crowded party. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I'm not saying anything. And we are able to do musicals in a time when Broadway is shuttered, and that's so depressing to walk next to. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) Never had corn puddin'. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So you don't really love me? GROSS: And it just reminded me, too, that when I was in school, we had to learn some of that kind of dancing - you know, like, square dancing. And, like, those are usually boring, too, and I never really understand the function that they serve. Like, clearly it was a thing for Rodgers and Hammerstein. And so - but everything that is evidence that he's gay, she sees as a really positive quality. 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. is initially really charmed by the idea that they're, like, living in a world of a musical. Viewers noticed that longtime cast member Cecily Strong was missing from the show and its opening credits sparking rumors of her exit. And you go like, whoa, what's that? And so I think they thought that might be a good outlet for me. I guess I knew it as a job. Let's start with "Schmigadoon!," which is filled with references to classic musicals, like "Oklahoma!," "Carousel," "The Music Man," "The Sound of Music" and, of course, "Brigadoon." Cecily Strong's new show (lovingly) pokes fun at 'problematic' Golden Age musicals. If you're just joining us, my guest is Cecily Strong, and she stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!," which is a loving satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. GROSS: That's really funny. So you have a few really funny references to, like, closeted gay people in musicals. This election is a mis-grace (ph), OK? Her birth name is Cecily Legler Strong. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #4: (As character, singing) Who wants corn puddin'? STRONG: I almost enjoy it more to see when someone's laughing. GROSS: To shoot and be in these, like, exuberant, like, joyful production scenes? And it was hard - you know, I had theater, thank God, and really was comfortable in that world. I don't know exactly where you live. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, singing) You can't plow a field without hitting some stone. GROSS: Reports are that you're not sure whether you're going back to "SNL" in the fall. He's . Lily Tomlin, the original star and Tony Award winner of 'The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, poses with the star of the L.A. production, Cecily . 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