Among the fascinating insights of The Hollywood Reporter‘s cover profile of Maya Rudolph was the delightful nugget that high school classmate Jack Black took the comedy legend to her first Groundlings show, fanning the flames of her interest in improv that would later lead her to join the troupe in Los Angeles.
“I was really enjoying being king of the hill of the theater department,” Black said. “And then here comes Maya, and she was just so funny and gifted and relaxed, and it really made me question whether I should even continue, like, that’s how strong she was. It’s like I was Salieri and she was Mozart, and I was so jealous that it kind of paralyzed me.”
Oddly enough, Rudolph also claims that introducing herself to people she doesn’t know is one of her biggest fears. Maybe things were slightly different when she was 14, or maybe she’s always been incredibly good at hiding that fear. If you’re jotting down things for your Maya Rudolph Bar Trivia (which should be a thing if it isn’t already), add that, when asked by Lorne Michaels why she should join SNL, Rudolph answered, “Because I love wearing wigs.” Apparently, that answer embarrasses her despite being objectively perfect.
Rudolph’s latest project is Loot, where she stars as a billionaire whose life has imploded alongside Joel Kim Booster.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)