Chloe Fineman, a renowned impressionist at Saturday Night Live (SNL), may acquire a new title this season as she humorously declared herself to be “the girl who’s hoisted by hunky men.” This moniker stems from her memorable appearances in which she was lifted by Jason Momoa of Aquaman fame and Jacob Elordi, the star of Euphoria.
This season has been exceptionally fruitful for Fineman, who joined SNL in 2019. Her tenure has seen her perform street ballet alongside Julia Stiles and engage in an uncanny impression face-off with Timothée Chalamet. While promoting a new campaign for NÜTRL Vodka Seltzer, Fineman spoke to us about some of her most buzzworthy sketches from this critically acclaimed season.
The sudden green light for a December episode’s “Save the Last Dance” sketch came at approximately 11:30 p.m., right before the live taping. A call was made to Julia Stiles, who fortuitously happened to be in New York City, to secure her appearance in the tribute sketch honoring the movie. The hasty decision left little time for preparation and rehearsal before showtime.
Fineman had to multitask, reading cue cards while simultaneously executing choreography live on stage in a gym at 30 Rock, which she described as being only used by Seth Meyers. Stiles joined her around 5 p.m. for rehearsals and was eager to collaborate on perfecting their performance together.
The sketch centers on Stiles’ character demonstrating her iconic audition dance from the film to Fineman, who humorously interprets it with a unique spin. The audience erupted in applause and cheers when Stiles took the SNL stage for her surprise cameo appearance.
“It was truly a special moment for me,” Fineman shared. “The audience’s reaction was so enthusiastic, and I thought it was an incredible experience.”
Initially intended for Adam Driver to be the recipient of her holiday “gift” in the sketch, the direction ultimately changed, and Stiles stepped into the role instead.
“I remember doing a table read with Adam Driver, who was hosting the episode,” Fineman recalled. “He was giving me that supportive look, and I thought, ‘Well, another day at the office making a fool out of myself with the greatest actor of our generation.’ But it all turned out wonderfully.”
During Chalamet’s second hosting stint in November, Fineman and he collaborated on a pre-taped sketch where she impersonated him for an audiobook narrator role in Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me.” Fineman had some apprehensions about portraying Chalamet, but the encouragement from SNL’s team of skilled writers pushed her to trust the process.
“He really enjoyed it and found it amusing,” Fineman said, beaming. “My favorite part was that he laughed in the same way my impression does. It created this intriguing meta dynamic.”
Fineman came up with the concept for the sketch shortly after Spears’ memoir was published and worked closely with SNL writers Jake Nordwind and Mike DiCenzo on its execution.
“I love that the show provides a platform for our talented cast to surprise us with their impressions,” she stated proudly, highlighting Molly Kearney’s Kevin James impression and Mikey Day’s Steve-O. “Everyone shines in a sketch like that.”
The celebrities Fineman chooses to impersonate are carefully selected and admired. She emphasized, “I’ll never do an impression of someone who I think lacks a sense of humor or is fragile.”
Despite being unsure about the origin of her role in January’s sketch involving Elordi, Fineman speculated that it may have been a result of her success with Momoa. In the sketch, she hosts a reality show for men of less-than-average height, ultimately selecting the 6 feet 5 inches tall Elordi as her partner, culminating in an overly dramatic on-screen kiss.
“Both Jacob and Jason were such pleasant hosts,” Fineman shared. “They took the intimate sketches in stride, knowing it was all just part of the fun.”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a bit nervous around these hunky men,” she confessed. “But I try to stay calm and collected, which is not the easiest thing to do when you’re being hoisted by Momoa.”
SNL airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. EDT/8:30 p.m. PDT on NBC. This week’s host is comedian Shane Gillis, with musical guest 21 Savage.
