HER QUINTESSENTIAL NEW YORK DAY:
"For me it’s waking up and turning on NY1—checking the local weather, seeing who got murdered—and then it’s going to the deli and getting a bacon, egg and cheese on a roll. Walking in the West Village, running into a friend and making plans for that night. I like that about New York—you don’t make a lot of plans ahead of time, but you do as your day unfolds."
PARKS AND RECREATION:
"I started the show right after Obama was elected, when it was all 'Yes we can!' and 'Let’s do this!' And there’s certainly a lot of comedy to be had in the reality of how slow things move [in government], how little changes, how hard it is to change things. Like, even to get a park built in your town becomes your life’s work. . . [The show's about] fighting against becoming cynical, against the idea of Ah, fuck it, nothing will change, therefore we shouldn’t do anything.”
HOW POLITICS INFORMS HER PERFORMANCES:
"Well, what has been fun about playing Leslie is getting to a very local level. Everybody’s macro ideas of how they feel about taxes and gay marriage and whatever fade when you are actually doing the day-to-day work. Both conservatives and liberals watch Parks and Recreation, and they each think the show is for them, which is really cool. SNL was totally different. It was exciting because everyone was paying attention. Political humor works when people know what you’re talking about."
HER WEBSITE FOR YOUNG WOMEN, SMART GIRLS AT THE PARTY:
"My goal—my five-year plan—is for it to be the kind of site girls go to when they wake up in the morning. It would be like their HuffPo. I love, love that age when you’re right on the precipice of teenage years, before you’ve decided that everything’s lame. And we always end with 'Dance Party,' which is just a stupid way of reminding kids—boys and girls—no one looks stupid when they’re having fun."