Known for impersonating Britney Spears and Nicole Kidman, Saturday Night Live cast member Chloe Fineman is finding her way to the big screen…alongside some major co-stars.
The Basics
- Age: 34
- New York vs. L.A.: Someone the other day said, “L.A. is boring heaven and New York is fun hell.”
- Favorite NYC food: Pizza from Rubirosa.
- Jobs before your big break: Mistakenly, I taught children hip-hop.
- Average sleep during SNL season: Four hours.
Men’s Journal: Babylon stars Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt…and you. Is it the epic send-up of brassy, boozy 1920s Hollywood that it looks like?
Chloe Fineman: It is! I play Marion Davies, silent film star and William Randolph Hearst’s longtime mistress. What I shot was a big plot point that I don’t want to give away. But I can say I got to meet Brad Pitt. I was on a chair napping and drooling. Then someone elbowed me. I opened my eyes and Brad Pitt was in my face saying hello. And I’m covered in drool. It was awesome.
Did your drool help you land a part in Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded $100 million passion project Megalopolis?
Ha, no. Dustin Hoffman and Adam Driver star in the film. So it’s just crazy to be a part of the cast. The plot was described to me as diving into what really went on in ancient Rome and mirroring that in today’s world.
I’m also in White Noise—now I’m just bragging—which is Noah Baumbach’s new movie. It recently had its premiere and I was dying to go. But then I found myself dangling in a harness 30 feet in the air dressed as Nicole Kidman doing an SNL commercial parody of her iconic AMC ad. Poor me.
You nail Kidman. What’s the secret?
For a good impression, you have to find what makes you laugh about the person, or what you’re charmed by. For me, it’s voice and gesture. And then, I watch a shit-ton of YouTube videos. The more you watch a celebrity, the more you notice something about them. Getting the impression right is usually just a lot of trial and error.
Biggest difference between making a movie and making SNL?
Time. Film is hurry up and wait. SNL is hurry up and hurry up.
There’s been a lot of handwringing about eight SNL cast members leaving this year.
The people who left were amazing. But the show has always been about regenerating itself. They felt like seniors and I felt like such a freshman when I started. Now I have a guidance counselor role. I’m always in plaid or a cardigan, so I just give off the energy of guidance. The only way to figure out how stuff works at SNL is to ask a million people, “Where do I go? What do I do now?” So I’m answering questions for all these new boys who are about 23. Day to day, SNL is basically an office job because we’re in an office and have a job to do. It’s not the ’70s.
It may not be the ’70s but do the postshow parties still get wild and crazy?
I go to the afterparties. And then always, without fail, I look at my phone and it’s 4 a.m. The first party I went to after the initial Covid-19 outbreak was Dave Chappelle’s when Trump lost the election. I almost didn’t go but I got a phone call from my mother who said, “You get in that car and you go to that party. It’s Dave fucking Chappelle!” So I had to go to that.
Did comics like Chappelle inspire you to join the Groundlings, L.A.’s famous improv troupe?
No, being a failed actor did. And I wanted to date someone funny. Plus, my dad did improv when I was growing up. But mainly going into the Groundlings was a way to fill the black hole that is living in L.A. and not knowing what you’re doing.
How long were the lean years?
That’s almost too embarrassing to answer. Basically, I’d say my entire 20s because I got SNL at 30. The struggle is real, but you have to keep the faith.
from Men's Journal https://ift.tt/foMHhuJ
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