The comic actress' star-turn in "Ghostbusters" and another Emmy nod for "SNL" have her primed for bigger things; fans of the kids' show 'Doc McStuffins' are worried about the future of one of the few kids' shows with a black lead character; DanceSafe provides education and and even drug-testing at raves, but its hands are tied by a federal law.
Kate McKinnon: 'I can't do an impression of someone I don't like'
Saturday Night Live cast member Kate McKinnon starred in "Ghostbusters" as the brainy scientist Jillian Holtzmann. While the film angered some especially misogynistic fan-boys for daring to have an all-female cast, McKinnon was praised by critics and audiences alike for her performance.
It’s hard to call that her breakout, since she’s been getting a lot of attention — and Emmy nominations — or her work on SNL, particularly her impersonation of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
McKinnon has also done impressions of Ellen DeGeneres, Iggy Azalea, Justin Bieber, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and even Robert Durst of Showtime's murder-documentary series, "The Jinx." The comedian has been doing impressions since she was young, with one of her first being of a former "Saturday Night Live" cast member.
The first impression that I liked doing was an impression of Cheri Oteri's Barbara Walters impression on SNL. I found that I could mimic that pretty well and people got a kick out of that.
The Frame's John Horn spoke with McKinnon about how she wanted to be on "Saturday Night Live" ever since she was young, her Hillary Clinton impersonation, the controversy surrounding "Ghostbusters," and how she avoids using social media.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
On watching "Saturday Night Live" when she was young:
I definitely wanted to be on "Saturday Night Live" and we were watching a lot of it. I would actually transcribe my favorite sketches because I wanted a written record of them. That's how deep it went. I taped them all on VHS. I still have them.
On playing Hillary Clinton in front of the actual Hillary Clinton:
It was so much fun because at our first run-through, she just nailed all of the comedy. Her delivery was so natural and her timing was so right on. We just looked at each other like, Oh my God, she's funny! What the heck? She was just so game and so sincere and so kind, and that was a really magical moment for me.
You're growing up, you're on Long Island and you want to be a sketch comedian. You don't think — in the course of even accomplishing that — that you'll brush with someone who might be the president. That was just a whole other level of wild.
On how she prepares for her various impersonations:
It's different every time and it's a different challenge every time, but ... you watch the person and you try to figure out what you have in common with them and why you like them, what you think is delightful about them. Then, just amplify that. Anything about how they move or who they are or how they laugh or how they talk. And I gotta like them. That's the one criteria I have — I can't do an impression of someone I don't like.
On the common bond between her and Hillary Clinton:
I feel similar to her in that ... I think she really wants to help people and she really wants to do well, and I certainly share that. I think the way that I'm obsessed with comedy, I think she's obsessed with helping. I kind of went from there.
On not using social media and the hate speech on Twitter against "Ghostbusters":
I think that's just really disgusting and vile and scary, and has nothing to do with whether someone elects to be on Twitter or not. I think it just is a travesty. I don't do it because it's not in my nature for some reason. I never found myself using Facebook in college when it came out.
I don't know what it is. I'm just not into it. It's just me, but I think it's a great tool for connecting with people. And I applaud people who have enough stuff to say that they do it. Mine would just be pictures of my cat.
A response to the drug culture at raves
It could be said that the present day version of sex, drugs and rock & roll is text, drugs and EDM. Live events of electronic dance music, commonly known as raves, are often associated with the use of drugs. And sadly, deaths at raves — sometimes due to impure drugs and dehydration — are common.
To address this public health issue, Congress in 2003 passed The Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act, colloquially known as The RAVE Act. There’s language in the law that incriminates festival producers if they are found to be “knowingly maintaining a drug-involved premise.” As a result, the act makes it difficult for drug education services — and even free water — to be offered at EDM festivals, because that acknowledges drugs are on the premises and implies that drug use is condoned.
One group that is trying to prevent drug-related emergencies at raves is called DanceSafe. When we spoke with Kristin Karas, the non-profit’s Manager of Health Communications and Programs, we asked about her organization’s prevention efforts, given that — to many people — raves and drug-use are almost synonymous.
I don't think that it's necessarily true that raves and drugs are synonymous. However, I think that the rave scene has definitely gotten more press about certain sorts of drug use. But in terms of what DanceSafe does — as a public health non-profit, we provide services coupled with literature. For example, we have free water and information about heat stroke; free condoms and information about consent; free earplugs because people so often forget about their hearing; and when possible we provide free drug [testing] and factual, unbiased drug information.
Because of the clause in the existing legislation, some venues and promoters are wary of allowing organizations like DanceSafe into their events because having them on site could be considered — as the law reads — "maintaining a drug-involved premise." A movement to correct the ambiguous language is called the Amend The RAVE Act Campaign. Karas explained that Vice-President Joe Biden, one of the sponsors of the original legislation as a U.S. Senator, never intended to target responsible event producers.
What they were actually looking for was to crack down on underground raves that were using the rave as a front for the drug scene. Now that raves are mainstream, we are now seeing some unintended consequences where these event producers or venue owner are understandably fearful of being prosecuted under The RAVE Act.
'Doc McStuffins,' 'Elena of Avalor' and the question of diversity in kids' TV
Since its launch in 2012, the kids' TV show "Doc McStuffins" has been celebrated for the portrayal of its protagonist: a little black girl who is a doctor for toys and stuffed animals.
While the show premise shouldn’t seem revolutionary, the fact that it features a non-white kid living a regular life and doing regular things has resonated with parents across the globe.
So, when it recently became public that Disney Jr. hasn’t confirmed that the show will be renewed for a fifth season, the show's fans mobilized. Socio-political comedian
, author
and singer
were just some of the prominent people who took to Twitter to let the world — and Disney Jr. — know why they love the show and how important it is to their families.
Seriously, if you love #DocMcStuffins as much as my family, tell @DisneyJunior to #RenewDocMcStuffins! pic.twitter.com/KRPUbj1Nsx
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) July 2, 2016
This concern has re-ignited a conversation about diversity in children’s television and its impact. Angie Nixon says the lack of media featuring children of color as a central character has had an impact on her daughter’s self-esteem: "She hated her skin complexion. And that’s very sad, as a mom. Being a black mom, knowing that your child hates the way she looks, and she looks just like you."
Which is why the existence of a show like "Doc McStuffins" is so important to her. But Angie wanted to do more, so she encouraged her daughter to explore her feelings about her looks by writing. The result? They created a comic book called ‘The Adventures of Moxie McGriff." It’s about a girl who discovers her superpowers after her fairy godmother gives her shampoo made of "self-love" and "moxie." Angie’s daughter, Natalie, says writing the comic taught her that everyone should love themselves, "love the way you are and have confidence" in themselves.
For Angie and Natalie, taking matters into their own hands was one way of trying to change the representation of children of color in entertainment. But not everyone can do that. Most of us are passive recipients of what’s out there. According to Susan Soldwisch, a retired family therapist, representation on TV and in the media generally helps answer key questions, like, Who values me? and What is my value?:
…from infancy, the first developmental task is trust or mistrust. So [for a child to see him] or herself reflected in the people around her and in the media, that has a subliminal message.
Soldwisch adds that watching shows with diverse casts doesn’t just benefit children of color – it benefits all kids: "It’s very important that [children] also have exposure to others of different colors, or else they’ll feel isolated and they won’t have the ability to form bonds with other people.”
But racial diversity isn’t skin deep. Isabel Cueva, the mother of a pre-school aged girl in L.A., would love to see children’s shows celebrate different cultures. “We need to expose our kids to outside of just this bubble," Cueva says. "So, what is it like living somewhere else? What are some of the cultural impacts that are gonna shape the children and shape these cartoon characters?”
Cueva wants children’s TV shows to challenge stereotypes, not create them. She wants to see shows that reflect "how people really live. To have it be what the culture’s about, and not just what other think the culture’s about."
Nancy Kanter, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, agrees that there needs to be more diversity in children’s entertainment. But she’s proud of her company’s approach: “The notion of how we can continue to look more inclusive and look more diverse is a conversation we have day-in and day-out on every single project we’re thinking about.”
Which brings us to Disney’s latest offering: "Elena of Avalor."
Elena is Disney’s first Latina princess. Kanter says the network was serious about how best to represent this character’s heritage:
Very early on, we brought in consultants to work with us; people who had expertise, whether it was in art or music or mythology, to work and give us information that we could then go back and include in each and every episode.
As a result, they created the fictional world of Avalor, what Disney calls an "enchanted fairytale kingdom, inspired by diverse Latin cultures and folklore."
Between "Doc McStuffins" and "Elena of Avalor," it looks like a commitment to diversity is afoot in preschool TV — or at Disney Jr. at least.
That said, if Angie Nixon’s experience is anything to go by, Disney could be the exception, not the rule. Nixon says she’s in the process of turning the adventures of "Moxie McGriff" into an animated series, but entertainment agents have suggested they “rethink the concept, because, you know, having an African-American in the lead role just may not work. People aren’t used to that.”
It seems the success of "Doc McStuffins," despite being broadcast in 30 different languages and in 158 countries, hasn’t changed the way some decision makers think about diversity in entertainment. But neither Angie Nixon or her daughter Natalie are deterred. They’re still moving forward with their plans. They’re still writing their comics, too.
Meanwhile, the future of "Doc McStuffins" doesn’t seem as clear. Nancy Kanter says that the network loves the show and everything it’s achieved, but, "we’re just not at that point of making a concrete decision."