SNL‘s finale isn’t until next week, but it’s already clear which sketch will top the most “best sketches of the season” rankings: Melissa McCarthy’s debut appearance in February as President Trump’s hapless press secretary Sean Spicer. The fiery impression is more pointed than Alec Baldwin’s Trump, and way funnier, too. No wonder Lorne Michaels has asked her back three more times. But when McCarthy isn’t around, an existing cast member dons the thinning hairpiece. In fact, he almost played “Spicey” in the first place.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to many of the key players in this culturally-rejuvenated season of SNL (including Baldwin, Kate McKinnon, Michael Che, and writers Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly) about all-things Trump, Kellyanne Conway, and Spicer. The idea to have McCarthy play the former-White House Easter bunny came from co-head writer Kent Sublette. “That was around the time of Sean Spicer’s first couple of press briefings, and they were just so insane,” he said. “It was a Tuesday, and one of our producers, Erik Kenward, told me that Melissa had flown out with our host [Kristen Stewart] and had a monologue idea. That’s when I just blurted out, ‘Melissa should play Spicer.'”
The Spy star obviously agreed, but if she hadn’t, the part would have gone to someone already on SNL. “If it hadn’t been Melissa,” Sublette explained, “it would have gone to Beck [Bennett]. He has an amazing impression. In fact, he reads Spicer for the read-through because Melissa’s not usually there.”
No offense to Beck, who’s turned into an indispensable part of the show, but Melissa as Spicer is a better choice, if only for how much it annoys Trump.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)
