(The show had never featured two black female cast members at the same time before.)
EW: Hi Leslie, this is Hillary.
Leslie Jones:Hey Hillary, how you doing?
Credit: NBC
I used to have a best friend named Hillary.
What happened between you guys?
You said used to.
[laughs]No!
I just moved to New York, so I dont ever see her.
[laughs harder]Thats hilarious.
No, I still talk to her.
I called her Hilamina.
I used to call her a different version every weeklike, Hildocious, Hilamina.
Lets talk about the show.
You have a ton of stand-up experience.
How was your transition to sketch work?
When I first got there, it was very difficult.
Im really good at standup.
I always win at standup.
And writing a sketch is completely different.
When youre writing a sketch, it has to be surrounded by a situation.
It cant just be out of the air.
So how did you learn to write in this different medium?
Its just, like, trial and error.
The one big thing I learned is that I had to take my ego completely out of it.
Its definitely a lesson that Im glad I learned, because its changed me onstage also as a standup.
Im different when I perform now.
Do you still feel most comfortable when youre on Update, though?
Yeah, Update is like standup.
Im talking straight to the camera, Im talking straight to the audience.
So whenever they give me Update, Im going to destroy.
Youve been a member of the cast for a few months now.
I wanted to ask about the sketch, with Chris Rock, when you froze up.
Im going to be honest with you: It was literally the scariest moment of my life.
All day I was already freaked out because I was going to be on live.
Because you had done the taped stuff before, and Update, but this was totally different.
And then between shows [dress and air], they changed a couple of stage directions.
What happened was, I was supposed to go offstage and then come back on immediately.
Or I wasnt supposed to leave, or something like that.
But I went off and when I came back on, I was lost.
I didnt know what my position was, I didnt know what color I was on the cue cards.
It was just one of those moments of Oh, shit.
And in my head, its like, Say something!
Finally, I figured out what my line was.
It seemed like it was 10 minutes.
People said it was only a second or whatever, but it felt like it was five minutes.
How did you feel afterward?
But I love my job.
I love the people at my job.
I love my boss.
I love my camera men, I love my crewbecause they all surrounded me with straight love.
Lorne came straight up to me, like, Dont worry about it.
Youre going to get it.
Everybody was so supportive.
The cast was like, Trust me, everybody has had that moment.
Is any part of you relieved nowas in, the worst thing that could happen has already happened?
I think I was waiting for it: Dude, what if you freeze up?
Now I can go up there and do it.
Im 47, you know?
[laughs]That stuff just doesnt get to me.
I love making people laugh.
And at this present time, no one is laughing.
Were a very depressed nation now.
Everybody hates the president, weve got all this racial stuff going on.
I want to be the one to make them laugh again.
I want people to authentically laugh again.
So my job is to bring the tickle.
I know whats funny.
Think about it: back in the day, everybody thought court jesters were just for the king.
Thats what our job isto come out and make that stuff funny or relatable.
Its our job to be the juice.
I wanted to ask about your relationship with Sasheer Zamata.
Oh, I love Sasheer!
Thats my baby boo.
Like I said, Im 47.
Im like the mom.
I take care of everybody.
Sasheer is the sweetest thing ever.
You two are the first two black female cast members on the show at the same time.
Do you feel a special connection with her?
We feel…we feel like were part of something really awesome happening.
Thats what we feel like.
We feel like, lets do our jobs, because were part of something really great.
And Im telling you, Lorne, he is so mediating this the right way.
Hes doing it so right its ridiculous.
Have you started working on the 40th anniversary show yet?
I dont think anythings solid yet.
Is there anything that you want to see happen?
You know, it would be awesome if Eddie Murphy came back.
That would be very awesome, if Eddie Murphy came back and did a sketch with us.
I also wanted to talk to you aboutTop Fivebriefly.
How long have you and Chris Rock known each other?
Oh man.Let me see… since at least 98.
Because Ive been doing comedy since 87.
I met Chris at the Laugh Factory, I do believe, when I came from New York.
And I do believe that was like, 98, 99, something like that.
So howd you get involved with the movie?
He said, I want you to be like Carmelo Anthony in the paint.
I want you to score.
So he wrote that part for me.
Tell me about the shootit seems like you guys are having a great time in the movie.
Every scene we had to reshoot because would start laughing.
Anything else you want to add aboutSNLor the movie?
Just that I love my job.
Know what Im saying?
I mean, Ive always been who I am, but the job aint never really accepted it.
[laughs]This is the first place Ive ever worked at that I completely fit in.
Well, congrats again on the show, and Ill be watching on Saturday.
Nice talking to you, Hilamina.
Nice talking to you too… Leslinator.
[laughs]Thats terrible!
