That's called a double standard. These Cecily Strong "SNL" performances were more than strong. Why couldn't we cross? Cinco Paul serves as showrunner, and wrote all of the original music for the series. This is FRESH AIR. The same year, she starred in, and was a producer for, Schmigadoon!, a musical parody series on Apple TV+. It was gorgeous. Being a regular member of The Second City and iO Chicago. She's now starring in the new series "Schmigadoon! And that really led to my love of movies and reading about movies and then starting to make my own with our family's Super 8 camera, which we've gotten for home movies, you know, on vacation. I mean, they - I got it expunged from my record by doing a hundred hours of community service, and I wound up really loving the community service I did. FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, singing) Every steak's bound to have some fat. And that's what I'd always rent whenever we'd go to the movie store. So I've gotten to see a lot of his shows in New York. And he was trying to help me find things. The first two episodes will premiere globally on Friday, July 16, 2021 exclusively on Apple TV+, followed by one new episode . Was it your idea to do her, or did someone say, oh, you should do her? Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong will provide an exclusive preview of her new memoir, "This Will All Be Over . It's not something we're going to eradicate. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #7: (As character, singing) Who wants corn puddin'? I was a new cast member. Strong is the niece of prolific Broadway producer, Edward Strong. JOST: You don't have to shout, you know. The couple, Josh and Melissa, are played by Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong. STRONG: Well, first of all, just thank you for saying that. If you're just joining us, my guest is Cecily Strong. It was like as soon as I started singing, I knew what to say. 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? 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. From now through February 6th she's performing a one woman, many dozens of characters play at The . So here you are on "Weekend Update" as Judge Jeanine Pirro. It's not like I drove myself. Here to explain is Jeanine Pirro. 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. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (Singing, as characters) My guys loves corn puddin'. I'm not going to do the show. Oh, he'll have to marry me. I think that's why, for 25 years, nothing happened with it because it was - it needed that addition to really crack it. 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. Cecily Strong's new show (lovingly) pokes fun at 'problematic' Golden Age musicals. GROSS: Well, I wish you well. Accuracy and availability may vary. Thirty-seven cents - it must not be very good, something that - and then I made a face like, huh? That was so weird. I'm Terry Gross. . So we did her on "Update.". Strong, 35, has been on SNL since 2012, joining alongside current . KEY: (As Josh Skinner) That's fantastic. I mean, I think it's certainly been a part of my life since I was little. 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. And it's like, you don't know what corn puddin' is? PAUL: I grew up in Phoenix, Ariz., so I didn't see a lot of shows live, but my mom really loved musicals, and she had cast recordings for - I specifically remember "Camelot" - you know, loving as a pretty young kid and listening to that. In the original, which debuted on Broadway in 1985, Tomlin leaps for two hours . STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) But not together. And then in making fun of myself, we sort of just kept playing with that, and that led into the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. And this is from the February 20, 2017, edition of "Saturday Night Live." So it is more of a romantic comedy, and it can be more about, what does love mean? UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #5: (As character) Did somebody say corn puddin'? She's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life . Stop. And this is from the February 20, 2017, edition of "Saturday Night Live." And so we'll hear Cecily Strong doing a little solo in part of this as Keegan-Michael Key objects (laughter) to her participation. And so we play with that trope as well. The townspeople are singing and dancing as if they're in an old musical. So somebody at Fox News said my name into a bathroom mirror three times, and here I am. She grew up visiting him backstage . UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) Just 'cause you feuded don't mean that you're concluded. You know, she's always got a very gravely serious affectation. Unless she's a superwoman, you won't be seeing Cecily Strong on "Saturday Night Live" tonight. She attended Oak Park and River Forest High School respectively. Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress and comedienne who is currently a cast member of Saturday Night Live, starting in September 2012, for the start of season 38. And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. 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. 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. Lorne Michaels, SNL's creator, is one of the play's producers. GROSS: Cecily Strong, welcome to FRESH AIR. What did you do to try to capture her voice? 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. KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I mean KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Look, this whole thing is insane. 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. GROSS: There's times on "Update" when Colin Jost has been laughing, like, so hard because you're so funny. I think there's nothing more thrilling than hearing Terry Gross likes (laughter) your show and (laughter) enjoys it and has joy from it. And suddenly, I used it just to make movies with all the neighborhood kids. JOST: (As himself) That's great. I think you have a shout-out to that. We're going to make him watch it for a podcast. I want to get to another song. STRONG: Yeah, absolutely I do. GROSS: Let's hear you as the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. My brother actually did try to kill himself in eighth grade. But what really cracked it for me was, oh, instead of two friends, it should be a couple. Good. Cecily Strong. I think I took my first drama class when I was 3. Thanks for finally letting a woman on late-night TV. GROSS: They didn't connect to the world I lived in. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) No - oh, no, that's not OK - unless it's consensual. So that wasn't even - I didn't even know we'd get to be vaccinated. PAUL: What would be the worst possible song to subject him to, you know? And I should mention here that you now - you bought a home in the Hudson Valley, which is outside of New York City. And so it makes me want to, like, poke harder. To be a 10 or 11-year-old kid obsessed with that sort of music was very odd, but I just - I loved it from an early age. I don't know exactly where you live. You have to do people that everybody knows. 'Schmigadoon!' star Cecily Strong and co-creator Cinco Paul embrace musical satire The Apple TV+ satire series . Strong said that because her uncle is a Broadway producer, as a child she often was able to attend Broadway shows and sometimes go back stage to meet their casts. He also co-wrote the animated films "Despicable Me," "The Secret Life Of Pets," "Horton Hears A Who!" I wish your mother well. He's a queer one, that man o' mine. So we just were relying on testing. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Yum. during the pandemic. That was weird. You put the corn in the puddin' and the puddin' in the bowl. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. GROSS: Because she has gaydar and no one in the town does (laughter). And so I think, more than anything, it made me realize, like, that's what depression does to you. And I had that above my bed until we - I moved out - I think, till I went to college. 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." GROSS: And this was pretty early in the pandemic, right? No - 'cause I - I mean, we shot in - last fall. Production Photos See Emmy Nominee Cecily Strong Take the Stage in Los Angeles Run of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. And my roommates - my COVID roommates, Matt (ph) and Kevin - were helping me shoot everything. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) We want corn puddin'. This is FRESH AIR. - where she sort of wishes he could be who he really is. total viewers were 4.1 million after three weeks lingering around 3.7 million. GROSS: I love the way mansplaining becomes like, don't man-terrupt me (laughter). I'm also - love the show and get a lot of joy from it. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) So what? I loved that movie so much, and the songs in that are so good. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Are you serious? 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? GROSS: There's times on Update when Colin Jost has been laughing, like, so hard because you're so funny. (SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE SHEARING'S "THINKING OF YOU"). In her second season, she co-anchored "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers and then Colin Jost. And I'm really - I'm so proud of everybody. PAUL: I mean, it probably came from my love of the Marx Brothers, you know. ANN HARADA: (As Florence Menlove) That's a good question. GROSS: And the waitress delivering the corn pudding is the younger woman who's pursuing him. JOST: That's great. And the first morning that you're there, you're having breakfast on the porch. 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 . And so - but everything that is evidence that he's gay, she sees as a really positive quality. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. This election is a misgrace (ph), OK? God, this whole musical is so much fun. And I think you're probably not wrong. Mean, horny men lying on in-home hospital beds and white prison gangs who control the remote on Saturdays, thank you for watching. She's created some great characters for the show. Yeah. GROSS: What are some of the movies and some of the cartoons that you grew up with? Strong has been a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" since 2012. 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. And I think, because my - we'd already gone through things with my brother. But my man is gentle, as soft and sentimental as any lace adorned a valentine. So let's talk a little bit about your work on "Saturday Night Live." GROSS: Cinco Paul, welcome to FRESH AIR. And then my uncle is also a Broadway producer. And then it was just such a gift. I mean, it's certainly stuck with me. Let's get back to my interview with Cecily Strong. Trailer It was at the 2019 Christmas party, that Cecily's agent made her meet him. 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 . HARADA: (As Florence, singing) Sometimes it may seem like he is too good to be true, like there's a man that I can't see just aching to break through. So I don't know what you do with that. And the contrast between that and the depression and anxiety you describe in your memoir, which - a lot of your memoir is about living through the pandemic, like, the first almost year of the pandemic. GROSS: That's Cecily Strong is Judge Jeanine Pirro. PAUL: The songs really should move the story forward in some way. And it was "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." It went to dress and not to air. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Then what are you saying? 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. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party) Hello, Michael Che. And, like, I'll never understand why they took joy in that because it was such a huge and awful moment in my life. GROSS: Had you been vaccinated when you shot the series? 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. He's, like, a really big Broadway producer. With a Broadway producer uncle in her own family, Strong was heavily exposed to the musical scene, making it an early love in her life. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party) Do you even know what women have to do when we go vote, Michael? And she's nominated for an Emmy for her work on "Saturday Night Live." UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) It's just a lover's spat. And he - you know, he had had depression for a long time. GROSS: Yeah, yeah. He co-wrote, co-created and wrote all the songs for the satire of musicals called "Schmigadoon!" And, like, we're ending someone's, like, educational career right now in this moment, and you're playing a game with it. And then just being loud and overenunciating and trying to have a stern look. You put the bowl in your belly 'cause it's good for the soul. Like, who cares? My guest, Cecily Strong, is nominated for an Emmy for the second year in a row for her work on "Saturday Night Live." And he was showing me clips of her, like, doing man on the street interviews. I'd feel safer being a child actor in Chicago. 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. And you're being, you know, waited on by a - you know, a very lovely, very young (laughter) waitress. Developed by Cinco Paul and Ken . But if you've got some extry (ph) STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble, singing) I sure would like a taste. And there was no lines; it was all facial expressions. GROSS: One of the things in some musicals is - the love affairs in some musicals, I think, would be considered pretty age-inappropriate now, like, for example, "The Sound Of Music," where, like, she's a young nun who's just left the convent. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Are you serious? now and Cecily's character really likes to get involved in people's lives, she helps push him to, you know, proclaim to the whole town who he really is. It was my first year talking with Colin. GROSS: OK, let me reintroduce you here, and then we'll talk some more. We'll talk more after a break. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #4: (As character, singing) Who wants corn puddin'? STRONG: Oh, definitely. I don't have enough gym credits to graduate on time. I can hear you. The men are dressed like they're in old-fashioned barbershop quartets. So if he wants my puddin', he'll have to marry me. So - but I definitely feel more anxious again. And you shot "Schmigadoon!" I think my favorite character that you've been doing lately is Judge Jeanine Pirro, the Fox News host. You know, I really wanted them - like, oh, that could genuinely have been a song sung in an undiscovered Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. And then the town just starts singing about how great corn pudding is. GROSS: So your character in "Schmigadoon!" The studio behind the project is Universal Television, with Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer of Broadway Video. And I was enjoying watching it so much. ", which is now streaming on Apple TV+. And he sings a song that kind of is a "Secret Love" kind of song (laughter) but PAUL: Yes, where he inadvertently reveals to Cecily's character that he's gay. . 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