STRONG: Well, it was sort of a mix of, like, I'm making fun of myself, and then I'm thinking about people I'd seen on Facebook. And we both enjoy malapropisms, I think, as much as each other, so it's a lot of that. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So you're ready to give up on us because of what a leprechaun said? So you must have had this idea early on that being in shows was something real people did. GROSS: We're listening to my interview with Cecily Strong, who stars in "Schmigadoon!," the Apple TV+ series which is a loving satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. GROSS: Cinco Paul wrote all the songs for the satirical musical series "Schmigadoon!" STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) OK. Well, that one's on you. She's been a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" since 2012. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. GROSS: They didn't connect to the world I lived in. She stars with Keegan-Michael Key in the new series "Schmigadoon!" She's taken all these concepts and just turned them into something confusing and wrong that she's very passionate about. Is this still going on, your podcast? And so in the spirit of turning your life into a musical, I just want to play the opening theme from your podcast, "Make Him Watch It. Then I kind of want to, like, go further. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) And you're not sick? You know, we were getting ready for one of those - I think they were two "Update" specials because it was an election year. I mean, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, I thought people in movies and on Broadway were, like, from another planet. And it wasn't easy to do this job this year. I appreciate it. Then I kind of want to, like, go further. Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? And so it's like, I knew I was kind of - it wouldn't last, this safety that I was feeling by being vaccinated. Could be fun. The men are dressed like they're in old-fashioned barbershop quartets. She's been in the entertainment business since 2012, officially making her a ten-year veteran of the arts. Thank you so much for creating this series. 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 . Here with her final thoughts on this election is the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. 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. September 29, 2022 5:22pm. When we left off, we were talking about her characters on "SNL.". PAUL: Yeah. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Then what are you saying? I mean, I think - it's certainly been a part of my life since I was little. Disha Kandpal. And I always wanted to be an actor since I was little. And it was "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." I'm also - love the show and get a lot of joy from it. He's a hard man to know, it seems - different. CHE: (As himself) So I assume you're not happy with the election. And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. GROSS: So your character in "Schmigadoon!" STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So what? ; Cecily Strong was not featured in the opening credits due to her . And I think Hal Willner, our music producer, had passed away the night before or something. GROSS: Another little clue. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. I love the show so much. I wish your mother well. Schmigadoon! So that's really where it began when I was a kid. All rights reserved. STRONG: Yes. Cecily Strong is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer who has a net worth of $4 million. GROSS: Had you been vaccinated when you shot the series? UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character, singing) You can't eat a fish without getting some bones. Like, he's just - when he's managing it, he is the most delightful, wonderful - my brother is, like, one of my favorite people in the world. These Cecily Strong "SNL" performances were more than strong. And we just thought it was so funny, and it was a fun way to play her. Her birth name is Cecily Legler Strong. 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." But she left the desk, preferring to do sketch comedy, which she's great at. My guest is Cecily Strong. "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life . And we'll also hear the Cecily Strong character kind of join in in a verse, much to the Keegan-Michael Key character's annoyance. We started with the opening song from "Schmigadoon!" Cecily Strong's New Book. GROSS: But the mayor's wife sings a song that's called "He's A Queer One, That Man O' Mine." It was like as soon as I started singing, I knew what to say. God, this whole musical is so much fun. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn puddin'. GROSS: And he's not just a Broadway producer. But she left the desk, preferring to do sketch comedy, which she's great at. She's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." You know, really, we talk about escapism, and I had real life escapism, where I flew into this beautiful, magical land of Vancouver, where there's, like, water and mountains and big trees - it was gorgeous - and then to be on those sets that were also gorgeous, and then to be with this amazing group of people. Like, what are you thinking? This was performed after Pirro made anti-Muslim remarks about Representative Ilhan Omar. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) Never had had corn puddin'. She was playing Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro, a frequent highlight of "Weekend Update," sloshing her booze onto co-anchor Colin Jost . Several familiar faces were gone, and many fans were left asking where was Cecily Strong. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (Singing, as characters) My guys loves corn puddin'. And we are able to do musicals in a time when Broadway is shuttered, and that's so depressing to walk next to. It kind of felt like that a little bit. And usually in those songs, that's like, he's wonderful. A leprechaun has explained to the couple - in song - that they can't leave Schmigadoon until they find true love, which means the depth of their love is about to be tested. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) I think they want us to take a verse. Cecily Strong. You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. Cecily Strong's character loves musicals and is initially charmed. 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. But I certainly - I remember getting to go backstage after "Secret Garden." 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? GROSS: Did you get to meet the actors? And it opens with, you know, two friends hiking through the wilderness, and they're hiking over the countryside. You know, I wasn't a super popular kid. It was my first year talking with Colin. GROSS: My interview with Cecily Strong was recorded in August. Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key star as a couple of trying to reinvigorate their relationship by going on a hike designed for couples who need to reconnect. (SOUNDBITE OF KEITH JARRETT TRIO'S "CONCEPTION"). 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. I got the recipe. It's a journal of her first year of the pandemic, dealing with anxiety and depression. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) And it may be a waste. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, singing) You can't plow a field without hitting some stone. PAUL: Well, I thought it was really important. So I think that led to my love of these 1920s songs, you know, the Tin Pan Alley stuff. So if he wants my puddin', he'll have to marry me. - which is now streaming on Apple TV+. Stop. No. And that really changed everything because then suddenly that became my tribe, you know, the theater kids. You know, and then it took a while to really understand - here's all of the things we're going to put in place. For "Broadway in the Berkshires," producer and actor Deborah Grausman brought together director Robin Levine, music director Laura Bergquist, writer/comedian Jason Salmon, and production stage manager Kat West. It's like, can we skip that (laughter)? Cecily Strong first joined SNL as a featured player in 2012. It's such a contrast for me seeing the joy in "Schmigadoon!" And, like, I'll never understand why they took joy in that because it was such a huge and awful moment in my life. Can we please go now? STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Come on, could be fun. Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key in "Schmigadoon!" premiering July 16, 2021 on Apple TV+. She's always got a very gravely serious affectation. It just felt like, I've fallen through the cracks. 'The Addams Family' star Barry Sonnenfeld is the director, and the actor, while Cecily Strong too serves as the producer. But I remember, you know, "Camelot" and "South Pacific" and "Guys And Dolls" and hearing those a lot. Our interview was recorded in August. So somebody at Fox News said my name into a bathroom mirror three times, and here I am. ", a satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. And, like, those are usually boring, too, and I never really understand the function that they serve. (Credit: Apple TV+) "It was an easy yes for me to do this . That's where everything's OK. GROSS: Then you have a couple episodes where you share your opinions of films of the '80s and films of the '90s. Cecily Strong (SNL) Biography, Net worth 2023, Salary, Age, Height, Educational Qualifications, Family Details, Parents, Husband, Boyfriends, Children . We have to show our IUD. GROSS: Let's hear you as the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. Or I'll go to my garage. . Stop. The series is streaming on Apple TV+. And I loved school, so it was really tough being expelled. NBC. Copyright 2021 NPR. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Seriously, please? I am eating ice cream, and the voiceover says, like, well, McDonald's now has ice - soft-serve for 37 cents or whatever it was. I mean, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, I thought people in movies and on Broadway were, like, from another planet. I think there's nothing more thrilling than hearing Terry Gross likes (laughter) your show and (laughter) enjoys it and has joy from it. It actually - I think it was probably Bryan Tucker, who I write with. So here's another scene from "Schmigadoon!". STRONG: Thank you. 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 . It's streaming on Apple TV+. 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? Developed by Cinco Paul and Ken . GROSS: Why don't we hear "Corn Puddin'"? UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, singing) Every steak's bound to have some fat. So somebody at Fox News said my name into a bathroom mirror three times, and here I am. Like, you know? But also, I remember singing "Singin' In The Rain" for the first time as a kid and Donald O'Connor doing "Make 'Em Laugh," and I thought that was the greatest thing I'd ever seen in my life. So we did her on "Update.". The studio behind the project is Universal Television, with Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer of Broadway Video. She also stars in the new series "Schmigadoon!," which is a very smart, funny and loving satire of musicals from the '40s and '50s. So, you know, I'm - I would love to do it. And, you know, I wouldn't say my wife hates musicals. It was like as soon as I started singing, I knew what to say. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So you don't really love me? Copyright 2021 NPR. GROSS: So let's hear a clip of you doing Jeanine Pirro. I loved that movie so much, and the songs in that are so good. 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 . He's, like, a really big Broadway producer. STRONG: Oh, definitely. In her second season, she co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers and then Colin Jost. And - yeah. What did you do to try to capture her voice? The first two episodes will premiere globally on Friday, July 16, 2021 exclusively on Apple TV+, followed by one new episode . Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images. So I've gotten to see a lot of his shows in New York. 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 . We live in Brooklyn. Later, we'll hear from Cinco Paul, who co-created the series and wrote all the songs. The show was filmed in Vancouver, Canada. My mom is in Mexico. This is FRESH AIR. And, you know, everybody that was there was supposed to be there. STRONG: I almost enjoy it more to see when someone's laughing. I wound up being lucky and getting to go to the Catholic school I went to. 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. And you're being, you know, waited on by a - you know, a very lovely, very young (laughter) waitress. 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. You put the bowl in your belly 'cause it's good for the soul. GROSS: And Hal Willner, who you mentioned - he died of COVID. Cecily Strong. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) OK. Well, that one's on you. GROSS: To make your point about being a good student, you were a National Merit-commended scholar based on your PSATs. Six episodes at approximately 30 minutes each.) But then, I mean, I did go back, and it was important to me, and it felt good to laugh. is initially really charmed by the idea that they're, like, living in a world of a musical. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn puddin'. Like, clearly it was a thing for Rodgers and Hammerstein. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #7: (As character, singing) Who wants corn puddin'? 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? It's a kind of - there's references to other songs in it, including "You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan" from - that's from "Carousel," right? I think you have a shout-out to that. Oh, that's really - it's a funny song, but it's also - it's a lovely song. Talk about the process of writing that. PAUL: He was not a fan. GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. What was it like for you to go from this heightened sense of anxiety and depression to flying to - was it Vancouver? Actress, writer, producer, and all-around comedy titan Cecily Strong has built up quite the resume over the last few years. It's an ode to those songs. I mean, it's certainly stuck with me. And they're sitting on the porch and about to have breakfast, and they're asked if they want some corn pudding. But if you've got some extree (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. And I think a lot of that, you can feel it when you watch the show, and I think that's probably why I enjoy rewatching it so much is just taking myself back there. CHE: (As himself) So I assume you're not happy with the election. Like, where did you grow up? And you shot "Schmigadoon!" STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) Never had corn puddin'. It wasn't like I'm pulling out. So you must have had this idea early on that being in shows was something real people did. She's now starring in the new series "Schmigadoon! Facts Buddy Fast, Factual, Free! I mean, I think it's certainly been a part of my life since I was little. You know, we were getting ready for one of those - I think they were two "Update" specials because it was an election year. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Oh, she sure would like a taste. It kind of felt like that a little bit. STRONG: No. I was a new cast member. Now that delta is causing this resurgence, what's your level of anxiety now? And I'm really - I'm so proud of everybody. Apple TV+. Cecily Strong is an American actress and comedian who is best known for being a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2022. . And the first morning that you're there, you're having breakfast on the porch. And I was enjoying watching it so much. GROSS: That's Cecily Strong as Judge Jeanine Pirro. Please continue playing piano for us. And immediately he's concerned about the age difference, especially because the actresses, you know, who play these roles were never actually teenagers. Strong was hired for SNL while doing improv at The Second City in Chicago, where she moved . If you're like me, you've never watched the show, and you didn't know her name until now. So here you are on "Weekend Update" as Judge Jeanine Pirro. GROSS: There's times on "Update" when Colin Jost has been laughing, like, so hard because you're so funny. We're leaving. I never wanted the songs to be too jokey, if that makes sense. GROSS: Well, I hope your mom, like, recovers really soon. Cecily Strong On 'SNL,' 'Schmigadoon!' . is initially really charmed by the idea that they're, like, living in a world of a musical. It's on or near the Hudson River. And you know, there is still an element of, like, you're playing with your friends. GROSS: (Laughter) I like that idea, the square dancing lobby. It was a McDonald's commercial that never aired. The Apple TV+ satire series Schmigadoon! Cecily Strong is unsure about her future at Saturday Night Live after nine seasons on the iconic sketch comedy series. GROSS: You did you first paid gig when you were 10. Let's get back to my interview with Cinco Paul. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Amy Salit, Phyllis Myers, Roberta Shorrock, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, Heidi Saman, Therese Madden, Ann Marie Baldonado, Seth Kelley and Kayla Lattimore. Cecily Strong had a special bond with her cousin Owen. OK, can you just please tell us about the candidates? And you can't have love without having a lover's spat. But to then think I'm - not only do I not fit in, I'm not welcome. A TV series that I really enjoyed this year is "Schmigadoon!," a smart, funny and loving satire of musicals from the '40s and '50s.