President-elect Donald Trump has done such an excellent job of expressing surprise and outrage that he’s been lampooned on television, it’s almost as if the man’s completely unfamiliar with the concept. Mocking a reporter’s disability? That’s apparently fair play, but don’t you dare suggest that the president-elect be made light of on Saturday Night Live. After all, he is a loyal viewer.
The New York Times has a fascinating profile about the details tucked into Alec Baldwin’s none-more-orange portrayal of the future commander-in-chief, including an interesting tidbit about how much Baldwin gets paid to play Trump. The answer? $1,400 for each appearance on the program. Considering that the dude could be voicing an animated emoji for an obscene amount of money instead, this may stick in Trump’s craw and we suspect the way Baldwin describes playing Trump won’t delight the former SNL host either.
“I see a guy who seems to pause and dig for the more precise and better language he wants to use, and never finds it,” explains Baldwin on his approach to Trump. “It’s the same dish — it’s a grilled-cheese sandwich rhetorically over and over again.”
The Times piece also features worthwhile dish (the other kind) about how the project comes together. Complete with makeup and wig details!
“Saturday Night Live” happens at a lightning pace: Those minutes of preparation include dusting the sunset color across Mr. Baldwin’s face — but not around his eyes, where “raccoon” circles of white are drawn, he said.
The wig, which on Saturday night rested high on a shelf next to the actor Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton hair, is custom made for Mr. Baldwin’s head, via seven vectors measured forehead to nape, according to Jodi Mancuso, the show’s hair designer.
It helps him transform instantly,” Ms. Mancuso said. “The minute it goes on with the makeup, it’s like, ‘Oh, I get it.’”
Sadly, the Times has neglected to devote 65,000 words on Beck Bennett’s shirtless bad boy Vladimir Putin. It’s definitely still worth a read, mind you. We’ll let Ken Burns sort Beck’s legacy out in a lengthy documentary.
(Via New York Times)
