Kate McKinnon's Justin Bieber Impression Secrets

June 03, 2014

To capture the Biebs' essence, Kate recommends looking like a puppy that just piddled -- but is really sorry about it.

TranscriptCONAN: You're so funny on "Saturday Night Live.? You're so amazing and you do these amazing impressions and you do impressions that I don't see other people doing like your Justin bieber is excellent. KATE MCKINNON: Thank you so much. CONAN: There you are. Or is that Justin bieber? I don't know. What's the key to inhabiting Justin Bieber? How do you become him? KATE MCKINNON: I think it's looking like a puppy who just piddled and is sort of sorry about it. [Laughter] [cheers and applause] And he's got those Jolie-Pitt lips. CONAN: Yeah. KATE MCKINNON: Those lips don't quit. You've met Justin Bieber obviously. He hosted the show. You've met him. What were you struck by when you met him in person? What was your impression? KATE MCKINNON: He was very sweet to me. He had that face. CONAN: That face that is his face. Did he pee on the floor? He peed on the floor and then he looked really sad about it. KATE MCKINNON: I cleaned it up. I mean, we all pitched in. No, he was very sweet. He's very beautiful to look at. He has this swagger of a gang leader with the face of a member of the Sistine Chapel. CONAN: A gang lead who are just relieved himself on the carpet. You also do an excellent Ellen Degeneres impression and you did it to her face. You actually did it with Ellen. How did that go over? She did she critique your impression? Did she feel it was fair? KATE MCKINNON: She's been an angel about the whole thing from the get-go. Bless her heart. I mean, so gracious. She did say, you know, because I love to do all this chair stuff. I don't want my crotch out. But I do all this chair stuff. CONAN: It's cable. KATE MCKINNON: And she was like, I've never done that on the chair. I don't know what you're doing there. CONAN: She was sort of getting in your grill a little bit about, "I don't do that." But that's not what an impression. Is it's not supposed to be an exact interpretation. KATE MCKINNON: Right there. There has to be some heightened version of the person. That's what I chose to make up. CONAN: And enraged her. KATE MCKINNON: No, she's very sweet. CONAN: you just finished -- this is what season of "S.N.L." for you? Thank you for touching my hand. That's very nice of you. KATE MCKINNON: I feel connected to you. I've done two seasons and then the five episodes from one season. Two and a quarter. CONAN: I worked on it when it was a radio show. When I was there, everyone would wonder, what are you going to do for the whole summer, with the spare time? You have the whole summer off. What are you going to do? KATE MCKINNON: I have been searching for cats. CONAN: For cats? You want a cat? KATE MCKINNON: You've heard of trap-neuter-release. CONAN: actually, no. We haven't. What ARE YOU talking about? KATE MCKINNON: I guess that's a thing women do. You wouldn't have heard of it, you bevy of men. No, I've been going to cat shelters and I've been wanting a cat in my life and I've been doing that way too often. CONAN: So you go to cat shelters and you haven't found the cat yet? KATE MCKINNON: I just shop. Just look around. I found one, there was one, we'll call him John, I won't use his real name because I don't want to embarrass him. But I saw his picture on the internet like Craigslist-style and then I went to meet him in person and he rebuked me. CONAN: Didn't like you? KATE MCKINNON: Hit me. Kicked me! And I thought, buster, I'm going to give you the life here. And he would rather live with 25 other cats than with me. I've never felt more rejected in my life. Maybe I came on too strong. Because I did go to him and say, "Will you be my cat husband, please?" [Laughter] "I'll love you forever if you'll only be my cat husband."

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