Kenan Thompson has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, but there’s one Saturday Night Live guest that left him totally starstruck.
The comedian, 46, couldn’t help but gush about the recent guest star, who made their SNL debut during the show’s 50th anniversary special last month, while chatting exclusively with Parade about his new partnership with Cascade, his career and more.
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“We had Meryl Streep, that was incredible. All of a sudden Meryl Streep was just in the building,” Thompson tells Parade. “It was like she was one of those unicorn kind of people. I don’t know if she’ll ever [do] it, but she’s a dream host, I’m sure, for so many people.”
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He continues, “She was just there all of a sudden in rehearsals like it was nothing. And she was so open and warm and nice to everybody, speaking to everybody and giving people eye contact and at least one or two sentences back and forth when she didn’t have to. She was very engaging and that was incredible. Just seeing Meryl Streep in the building, that was wild. And she was there before I got there! And I got there at 10 in the morning. So she was already in there going hard. I was like, ‘Wow, this is a special thing that’s happening here for the 50th [anniversary].'”
Streep, 75, made her SNL debut in another “Close Encounter” sketch opposite Kate McKinnon‘s Colleen Rafferty as her mom, Colleen Rafferty Sr.
John Hamm, Aidy Bryant, Woody Harrelson and Pedro Pascal also starred in the sketch, in which alien abductees are interviewed by Pentagon officials.
In addition to reflecting on working alongside Streep on SNL50, Thompson tells Parade why it was a no-brainer to work with Cascade for the launch of their New & Improved Cascade Platinum Plus — especially since it “takes all the stress out of cleaning up.”
“I’ve always been a big fan of Cascade. I remember using it growing up. They keep leveling up their formulas and now they’re almost invincible as far as attacking grease and stains go,” he explains. “Dishwasher, technology wise, as far as detergents go, we’re pretty much unstoppable now. There’s nothing to stop us from getting clean dishes once again, no matter how dirty they were.”
Courtesy of Cascade
Thompson also tells Parade that not having to worry about the stress of scrubbing pots, pans and plates gives people more time to focus on the best part of cooking: bringing everyone together.
“I’m more of a moderate kind of cook, but I do love people that are really, really good at cooking and they really get into the kitchen. [I love] the smells of it all. It just reminds you of the comfort of being surrounded by fam [and] the love of loved ones,” he says. “Something about cooking just always calls everybody from different parts of the house to the heart of the house.”
He adds: “And you sit there and you either get involved with the cooking or you wait on your plate. Either way, it’s fantastic time spent with your loved ones.”
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