Bryant balances ‘SNL’ with ‘Danger’
Comedian talks about her new Amazon kids’ show, hunky Kumail and staying on top of the news
Move over, “Dyke and Fats.” Aidy Bryant is part of a new action duo.
In Amazon’s Danger & Eggs (streaming now), the Saturday
Night Live cast member — who helped “save Christmas” in an
SNL cop-show parody last year — voices D.D. Danger, the teal-haired daughter of a famous stunt daredevil who goes on adventures with her prudent best friend, a giant talking egg named Phillip (Eric Knobel). The animated series’ 13 episodes arrive just as Kumail Nanjiani’s critically acclaimed
The Big Sick infects more theaters (11 cities nationwide).
Bryant, 30, who co-stars in the big-screen comedy, talks about her busy summer.
Q What drew you to Danger & Eggs, reading it for the first time?
I just felt it wasn’t condescending kid comedy — it was real comedy at a fast pace. I knew I really had to care about it, because I was doing it at the same time as SNL. I’d (record) in the mornings before I’d go (to 30 Rock), which makes for a long day. But it was the kind of show that I wish was around when I was a kid. I would watch Care Bears and (series with a message that) would be like, “Be sweet.” Which is great, but (D.D.) is an awesome girl character that’s totally the star of the action.
Q How long have you known Kumail?
A couple of years. We did a little movie together ( Brother Nature) and have been friends since then. Judd Apatow produced The Big
Sick and Girls, and I had worked with him before, so that’s how I got in the mix. It’s such a delightful film in a world of huge Trans
formers blockbusters and I love that Kumail is a full-on hunk in it.
Q How much improvisation did you do on set?
Our little (stand-up comedy) portion of the movie is one of the lighter areas, so we got to improvise a lot. Especially Bo Burnham and I: There were some burns that we did about Kumail’s oneman show that I was like, “That could be its own movie” for how long we were burning (him).
Q How did the political climate change the atmosphere behind the scenes at SNL?
It was totally different. I think the average person looks at the news in the morning, maybe in the afternoon and then you go on with your day. For us, it was all day, every day, looking for updates. You had to throw things away and start from scratch because of a new story. That was really wild, and affected even the sillier parts of the show. Certain things changed to make way for more topical stuff.
Q Mike Huckabee responded to your impression of his daughter, deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
He gave an interview where he said he wasn’t too fond of it. But that’s part of stepping into that kind of major role in any presidential administration. You’re going to be part of the conversation. I would never perform a character to be sexist or mean-spirited — I do comedy to make people laugh and not hurt people’s feelings. So if there was any sense that was what I was trying to do, it got misconstrued and I can’t help that.