Cecily Strong Says Melania Likes Her *S.N.L.* Impression
[embedded content] One of the best things about Saturday Night Live is the cast’s ability to find t..
One of the best things about Saturday Night Live is the cast’s ability to find the best people to do impressions of our most impression-able celebrities. Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump still returns from time to time, as he did last night, to cheers and applause, but it’s Cecily Strong’s Melania Trump impression that has stealthily become one of S.N.L.’s best. From the cold open during the campaign (where Taran Killam played Donald Trump) to “Melanianade” to last night’s First Lady sketch that brought back Natalie Portman’s Jackie Kennedy, Strong has absolutely nailed the cold-yet-curious interpretation of Melania Trump as a character. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Friday night, Strong says she and Melania have an even deeper connection than we might have thought.
Jimmy Fallon naturally asked Strong if she‘d heard whether or not the First Lady enjoyed her occasional appearances on S.N.L., and Strong replied that, while Melania herself hasn‘t said as much, she hears that she actually does enjoy the show. At a cast dinner they had when Trump hosted, Melania even pointed Strong out.
“She pointed at me when she walked in,” Strong said, “and then I think he said, ‘She likes your impression.’ But I’ve heard through the grapevine that she watches the show and likes it.” One of the staff writers, Julio Torres, Strong said, has “really captured the curious icicle part of Melania.”
“And I feel like she gives us little messages,” Strong continued, explaining that the strange happenings around the White House have got to be secret missives the First Lady is sending to the S.N.L. writers room. “When she decorated the White House for Christmas, I thought that was a gift she gave to us.“
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