Second Take: ‘SNL’ portrayal of Hillary Clinton opens candidate up to millennials
Kate McKinnon performed as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on “SNL” during the 2016 election cycle, including the “Hillary Clinton/Donald Trump Cold Open” sketch. (Courtesy of Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)
By Olivia Mazzucato
Nov. 8, 2016 4:48 p.m.
The events of the 2016 election were so outlandish that they hardly needed satire.
However, “Saturday Night Live” still delivered some incisively hilarious election coverage.
Larry David frequently appeared on “SNL” as Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. Kate McKinnon acted as both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s long-suffering campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway. Alec Baldwin’s recurring role as a spray-tanned, unpolished embodiment of Donald Trump was wildly popular, drawing rave reviews and high ratings.
Baldwin’s Trump, while entertaining, isn’t much of a stretch from the candidate himself. Trump is an open book who tweets his innermost thoughts, as compared to Clinton, who is more guarded. Where Baldwin mimics, McKinnon creates, imagining a Clinton unencumbered by restraint and brimming with emotion.
The main strength of McKinnon’s performance is her ability to convey emotions like shock and joy so clearly in her reactions, making her a more relatable and understandable candidate for the millennial generation.
McKinnon stepped into Clinton’s polished pantsuits and donned a coiffed blonde wig for this election cycle in March 2015, when she broadcast a special message to the American people “not as Secretary of State, or as a senator, or as a First Lady, but as a relatable woman on a couch.”
Her awkward charisma as Clinton is captivating and endearing. McKinnon’s Clinton ultimately humanizes Clinton for millennials – something the candidate often struggled to do herself.
In a race characterized by drama, Clinton’s speeches remained even and her debate responses calm. She only showed small flashes of emotion during a few select moments, like the hint of anger in her eyes during the third debate when Trump suggested he would not accept the results of the election.
This is not the case for McKinnon.
After Baldwin’s Trump hints the election is rigged in a reenactment of the debate, McKinnon crosses her arms and squints, her head tilting to the side sarcastically, as if she’s settling in to watch a show. In the first debate, when Baldwin proclaims members of the black community are responsible for violence against each other, her eyes widen and her jaw drops open. As she listens, she gently reaches up and pushes her mouth shut.
Her reactions are more than nonverbal appeals to the camera and viewer. In response to the final question of the second debate, when both characters were asked to cite their opponent’s best quality, McKinnon praises Baldwin’s generosity.
“Just last Friday, he handed me this election,” she says gleefully, before breaking into a victory dance.
McKinnon’s reactions are far from Clinton’s more composed reality, but they offer insight into what Clinton may have felt during some of the more outrageous moments throughout the campaign. McKinnon offers a look at a less restrained Clinton, if she were able to express herself freely without public scrutiny or backlash.
McKinnon’s over-the-top responses appealed to millennials, because to many, the idea of a polished, groomed career politician is unappealing. McKinnon’s portrayal combats Clinton’s stoic image, offering a glimpse of what may be happening behind the candidate’s cool, collected exterior. She says the words we know the real Clinton could never say in public.
Clinton has publicly stated her admiration for “SNL” debate coverage, which suggests that McKinnon’s incredulous characterization may not be too far off from how Clinton actually feels.
If all millennials in the United States registered to vote, they would make up about 31 percent of the electoral vote, which could have significant sway in the election. Winning over the millennial crowd, something Clinton can struggle with, could be the difference between winning and losing.
In this way, “SNL” may be an effective campaign for Clinton, helping to round out her carefully cultivated media image.
Although it feels that the end of this election cycle cannot come quickly enough, the main thing I will miss will be McKinnon’s shimmying, snarky, “stone-cold B” portrayal of Clinton.
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