Ever since she was little, Ego Nwodim has loved performing. In fact, that was why she was a ballerina for 10 years. Eventually, she stumbled, begrudgingly, into an improv comedy class and fell in love with it. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d be making millions laugh on a stage as big as “Saturday Night Live.”
Nwodim, who joined the show in 2018, is set to host Variety’s Power of Women event in New York on April 4.
When did your love for comedy begin?
It started long before I could name what it was. I grew up watching “Martin” and “In Living Color,” but I grew up in a Nigerian household, so it was like, “These are TV shows you’re watching.” I didn’t know they were called comedy because they weren’t introduced to me that way. I think truly being able to name that it was comedy, I feel like such a late bloomer in that regard. I didn’t really even know that was a career option until 15 years ago.
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If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
I was pre-med, because I’m Nigerian American. And pretty much all parents want us to be doctors. I was a business minor as well in college, and I loved my business classes. I loved my accounting class; doing a ledger was very fun to me. I don’t think I’d be an accountant. I’d be a headhunter or recruiter, because I love helping people find what they’re looking for. If you said, “I’m looking for a pair of pants,” I’d be like, “What kind? What style?” Then it would excite me to help you find what you’re looking for.
Who made you laugh the most watching “SNL” before you were on it, and who makes you laugh now from the cast?
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell and Tracy Morgan. I loved, loved, loved watching them. Tracy was always so funny, and then getting to see him on “30 Rock” just solidified that for me. Now that I’m there, Heidi Gardner makes me laugh a lot. She just embodies a character so well. Andrew Dismukes makes me laugh a ton. James Austin Johnson’s really freaking funny. Everyone I work with is so funny. That’s not a fair question!
Would you take on another regular acting role at the same time as juggling the “Saturday Night Live” schedule?
The schedule is insane, but I’m a workaholic and I would love to go do a live-action comedy simultaneously with the job. I don’t know how it would work time wise, but stranger things have happened. We’ve seen it at my job. So that’d be so fun.
What’s your favorite part of the workweek, and what’s the most difficult?
Every time we go back to work on a Monday after a hiatus or in the fall, it’s like going back to school and seeing your friends again. To get to have that as a grown-ass adult is really special. The toughest is our table read and writing night. I just know I’m going to be exhausted. Who knows how late I’ll be up? Who knows if I’ll even come up with anything fun? At table read, everyone’s trying their best, including myself, and you may not have slept last night, but now you’re gonna put on a show for your colleagues and hope it translates. There’s always some nerves around that.
