On Jan. 20, as the world watched Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sworn in as president and vice president, Maya Rudolph was “ready to open champagne at like 10 a.m., but I thought better of it.”
Rudolph, who has played Harris on Saturday Night Live throughout her presidential run and eventual vp nomination, says the months impersonating the former California senator “gave me a little bit of a pep in my step for the whole election. I was kind of part of that story.”
And the most important moment in that story may have been on Inauguration Day, when Harris became the first woman, as well as first woman of color, to take on the position. Rudolph, though, didn’t get to live out that moment onscreen since SNL was on a holiday break until Jan. 30 — which also meant no cold open in that already iconic purple coat.
“The purple coat was fantastic — her whole look. And the evening [look] was even more spectacular,” Rudolph says, remembering the ceremony, which “felt like order was being restored.”
“I think the thing about her that amazes me is when she’s just grinning from ear to ear. She’s one of the only people you can see grinning under a mask.” With Harris now in the White House for the next four years, Rudolph says the “ultimate dream” is an in-person SNL appearance by the vp, whom the actress has not yet met in person. But she has big plans for when they do. “If we’ve all gotten our vaccines and can do a little hug, that would be real nice,” says Rudolph, who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of her keynote at Create & Cultivate’s CC100 List event presented by Chevrolet.
As for her future plans on the show: “As many purple coats as it takes I’ll be happy to be there, as long as she’s around.”
A version of this story first appeared in the Feb. 10 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
