It was more fun for us.
CHRIS KELLY:He was my favorite host Ive ever had.
He was a great collaborator.
Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC
He was easygoing and nice and not the grumpy guy that you would think he might be.
KELLY:Yeah, he was super funny, super nice.
It was the best experience.
All week last week me and Sarah kept saying, This is the best week!
This is my favorite week here!
What did he add to the writing process?
KELLY:It was pretty collaborative.
He knew he wanted to do something withCurb Your Enthusiasm, obviously he created the whole show.
We pitched him that idea, and then he came in and kept pitching, and added to that.
SCHNEIDER:He did the cough and the handshake.
KELLY:Yeah, we just all pitched in on it together.
He was super collaborative, and then Sarah and I wrote it up.
It was a very cool, collaborative process.
Once we had that okayed by him, we felt good to write the script.
How did the popper bit come to be?
That exchange with Aidy [Bryant] is so uniquely Larry David.
KELLY:It was half-written, and then we just said, Lets shoot this long and keep improvising.
Any time wed write something and he would be like, Good!
wed be like, Oh, my God.
Were there other Bernie Sanders scenarios that the writing team had tried but revised or cut?
I think people were surprised to see him in theTitanic[Steam Ship] sketch.
[Note: Schneider and Kelly did not write the sketch.]
KELLY:Its weird.
When Hillary was here we wrote a sketch with her and for her.
SCHNEIDER:We spent time with her.
KELLY:For this week with Bernie, he wasnt in our sketch.
He was in a different sketch so we didnt really work with him.
But Sarah and I made a point to be like, Well we want to introduce ourselves.
We write your character!
But it is weird to go up to someone and say, We write your character.
Im sure hes thinking, Im a person.
[Laughs] It was cool and weird to meet him.
SCHNEIDER:He was really nice.
And you two also head up the Democratic debate sketches.
Did you ever think that in your career youd be so closely following politics?
SCHNEIDER:Absolutely not.
[Laughs]
KELLY:I did a little bit.
I mean, I didnt think Id be writing politics onSNLor anything, but Im obsessed with politics.
SCHNEIDER:I came into this job very disillusioned with politics.
Didnt really enjoy it, didnt follow it.
Now I enjoy it.
It was a surprise for the arc of my life.
KELLY:Its also exhausting to follow politics.
So something good comes from having to slog through all that crap sometimes.
What is it like writing forSNLduring the last push in an election year?
KELLY:Its exciting.
Its very cool and surreal to be going through that ourselves.
SCHNEIDER:We were here for the last election, and I think we were still fairly new.
It didnt seem to be as exciting.
It was just Mitt Romney, since it was Obamas second term as president.
We missed the John McCain election when we came in.
This one actually feels like people really care about it.
Its going to be a new president regardless.
Its more exciting to be here for this one.
Last time we spokewas right beforethe Adele-Matthew McConaughey episode.
How many deaths did you die when she was a musical guest?
I know you guys are big fans.
SCHNEIDER:A million deaths.
Wed known for a couple of months because they had her booked so early.
We were privately on Cloud Nine for many months.
Her album came out and we listened to it immediately, and shehadaconcertthe week of that show.
We just loved her.
KELLY:It was a very Adele-centric week.
Writing sketches came like second or third or fourth.
We would write a page of a sketch and then pull upher When We Were Young videoand watch it.
Finally,Melissa McCarthy is the next host.
Have you guys started writing for that yet?
Anything you’re able to share?
KELLY:As soon as we hang up we have to start figuring something out.
Give us some ideas!
But its always a good show with her.
