Amy Poehler appeared on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast and revealed that she shared a dressing room with none other than Meryl Streep during the “SNL50” special last month. And yes, Meryl Streep took her role in the “Close Encounters” sketch very seriously.
“There were so many people that people had to share dressing rooms,” Poehler said. “So I was sharing my dressing room with Meryl Streep. Just like a fan, I was taking a picture of the door that said my name and Meryl Streep and it was really cool.”
“She was getting ready for her sketch and really rehearsing it and I remember thinking, ‘I have never rehearsed as hard as Meryl Streep is in this one moment,’” Poehler added.
Streep’s surprise appearance on “SNL50” marked her first time ever starring on “Saturday Night Live.” She appeared in the “Close Encounters” sketch alongside Kate McKinnon, Woody Harrelson and Pedro Pascal. The recurring sketch finds McKinnon often having her co-stars break by playing Colleen Rafferty, who describes her raunchy encounters with aliens while smoking a cigarette. Streep played the character’s mother, Colleen Rafferty Sr., who experienced her own alien abduction.
“SNL50” proved to be a starry night for Poehler. Not only did she share a dressing room with Streep, but she also found herself sitting in the audience next to Jack Nicholson. The Oscar winner made a rare appearance to introduce a song performed by his “Anger Management” co-star Adam Sandler.
“It was a night of famous alumni and people, I sat down and turned to my left and it was Jack Nicholson,” Poehler said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Of course. My old friend, my dear friend Jack Nicholson.’”
Watch Poehler’s appearance on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” post in the video below.
