Kristen Wiig says the pressure of ‘SNL’ left her creatively exhausted

Kristen Wiig can be remembered as one of “Saturday Night Live”are the effortlessly funny performers, but behind the scenes, the longtime actor says the pressure to constantly create something new has almost gotten the best of her. The 52-year-old comedian opened up about hitting a creative wall during her seven seasons on “Saturday Night Live,” revealing that she once felt like she was completely out of ideas. Wiig joined the series in 2005 and remained there until her departure in 2012, earning four Emmy nominations and returning several times as a guest host. But during a recent appearance on the show “Las Culturistas”, hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, Kristen Wiig admitted that the work wasn’t always as smooth as it appeared on screen.

Kristen Wiig recalled that even the audition process left her wondering if she had anything left to give creatively, a feeling that only intensified once she was on the show.

“I auditioned twice and I remember when they brought me back for the second one, I was like, ‘I love doing everything. I’ve done everything. I’ve literally done every character I have,'” she said on the podcast. “And three seasons later, breaking down, ‘I did all the voices. I have nothing.'”

Yang admitted he shared that sentiment, sharing that he experienced similar doubts during his own second season on the NBC sketch series.

According to Kristen Wiig, collaboration played a major role in helping her overcome the mental block.

“That’s how you feel,” she explained. “And then it’s this hump that you also get over with the help of other people saying, ‘Can you play blah blah blah?’ And you say, “Well, we’ll see.” » And then you end up trying or doing it. This doesn’t always work. And then you just like finding new things.

Over time, Kristen Wiig said she had to completely rethink how she approached character creation. “And then you find other ways to find characters,” she said. “Like it wasn’t just vocal, right? It became like physical.”

She cited her character “Don’t Make Me Sing” as an example of this change. “The ‘Don’t blackmail me.’ It comes from just holding me like this,” she said, placing her hands on his waist. ‘Let’s just do something to make someone stand like this,’ because I was like, ‘I don’t have to do anything anymore.'”

Yang also brought up one of Wiig’s most memorable characters, Rebecca LaRue, noting that the sketch didn’t initially land during dress rehearsal. “I would say from the attire, I was shocked, and I’m just saying this. I don’t think it really played a role. And then, on the air, I don’t know what you did,” Yang said.

Kristen Wiig credited the lackluster sartorial race for pushing her to fully commit when it mattered most. “It’s probably because it didn’t play out. I was like, ‘I’m going to go for it,'” she said.

Yang praised his ability to pivot quickly, adding, “But you got it! In 45 minutes to an hour! It’s amazing.”

“I don’t remember,” Wiig replied.

Rogers, however, didn’t hold back in his verdict, admitting, “Those are my three best characters that you’ve played in the entire series.”

Kristen Wiig’s thoughts on creative burnout struck a chord with Bowen Yang, who has been open about his own complicated relationship with “Saturday Night Live,” including that he once considered leaving before ultimately deciding to stay. Yang officially left “Saturday Night Live” after seven seasons, making her final appearance during the show’s Dec. 20 broadcast in an emotional sketch alongside Ariana Grande And Dear.

Three weeks later, Yang discussed his departure on the January 7 episode of “Las Culturistas”, where he explained that although he had already thought about leaving earlier, he was grateful to have stayed this long. “Honestly, that’s the bottom line: It’s time. You’d do seven seasons, then you’d move on,” Yang said at the time.