Alumna of ‘SNL’ equally content to work in drama

in the film. Somebody was playing a piano in the corner, and Kathryn and I were watching, just talking and gossiping. Tamara was in a different room, but when she came in, she saw us and said, “Wait, wait, I want to shoot this.” So she brings the cameras over and shoots because she likes the way it looks so natural. I’ve never worked with anyone who does that.

Q: Is “Private Life” a story only a woman could tell accurately?

A: IVF is so expensive and can be such a letdown when it doesn’t work. The woman is going through the physical changes. ... Only a woman could write that perspective. But they both go through an emotional roller coaster. ... I think a man could’ve written it, but it would’ve been different.

Q: Where are we today in terms of audiences accepting the fact that comic actors can also take on serious roles? Do you worry that people see you as a comedian first and are maybe surprised when you pop up in a drama?

A: I don’t think about it. I love doing pure comedy, and I love drama. I approach both the same way: I do the emotional truth underneath the character. I’d do that playing Mary Catherine Gallagher on “SNL.”

I consider myself a dramatic comedienne. I went to regular drama school. So if people think I can’t do that, it doesn’t bother me. Q: It doesn’t? A: Well, I mean, I try not to think about it too much. Trying to prove yourself to people … just feels so negative — exhausting. You can definitely be put in a box in Hollywood — once you do one thing, they think that’s all you can do. Friends wrote me parts. Thank God Mike White gave me that first break, in “Enlightened.”