To celebrate both of their Emmy nominations, Variety recently sat down with Lena Dunham and Fred Armisen for a hybrid interview/conversation that covers everything from their thoughts on each other’s shows Girls and Portlandia to what it’s like to perform on SNL. Here’s both of them talking about Lorne Michaels and his behind-the-scenes skills and power:
Armisen: Lorne gives the most valuable kind of notes. I don’t know how he knows. I don’t know if he has like some secret connection to my brain but he addresses questions that I haven’t asked yet and then I feel better about a whole season. In a sentence, he can diffuse any anxiety that I have.Dunham: The biggest takeaway from doing SNL was like trying to feel as close to him as possible and watch him do his job and just to see his notes, which range from like big amazing, macro-script notes to, “There’s not enough stuff on that desk, mess it up a little bit.†He’s always right.
Check out the rest of the interview – which includes Dunham “freaking out†when she discovers Armisen is on Instagram – over at Variety.