Highlights

• Kristen Wiig's iconic characters on SNL, like Penelope and the Target Clerk, were inspired by real people she observed in her life.
• Wiig ate real Activia yogurt during her skit parodying Jamie Lee Curtis' commercials, but requested a switch to regular yogurt for the second scene.
• Wiig feels more comfortable playing characters on stage than speaking as herself, as she finds public speaking and socializing in large groups to be challenging.

Saturday Night Live has been a source of comedy gold for generation upon generation. The sketch comedy show has turned some very talented comedians into household names. From Eddie Murphy to Adam Sandler, SNL is the original home to some of Hollywood's brightest comedic stars.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that actress and comedian Kristen Wiig first stepped into America's homes after appearing on SNL. The funny performer became known for her hilarious characters, including Penelope and the Target Clerk lady.

But there was another character Wiig portrayed that audiences wanted back for another round. This was an impersonation of a famous actress. However, when filming the second scene, Wiig requested a specific change to one key detail.

Kristen Revealed That She Was Fed Real Activia Yogurt When Parodying Jamie Lee Curtis' Commercials

Wiig's characters on Saturday Night Live have been both memorable and enjoyable for the audience. When Wiig spoke to Women's Health in 2008, she shared where some of these characters came from, like Penelope.

Penelope was a character who was constantly one-upping people.

"A lot of it comes from just unconsciously observing people," Wiig said. "Penelope is based on someone I know. It's so far from how they act or look that they would never in a million years know. I'd say I was going to get a massage and they'd say, 'Oh, I'm getting a massage this week. I'm getting one tomorrow.' And I'd be like, 'That's a weird thing to try to one-up someone about, but OK.'"

She also shared that she loves Target as much as her Target Clerk character does.

"It's clean," Wiig said. "They have great things. It's every reason you love a store."

Similar to Penelope, Wiig told Entertainment Weekly that the Target Clerk character was inspired by a real clerk at a Target store she encountered.

"She didn’t walk away and she didn’t talk like that or look like that," Wiig said. "She just said a word kind of funny that got me to talk that way."

One of Wiig's most memorable characters, however, wasn't a fictional creation. It was actually an impression of actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

Wiig parodied Curtis' commercials for the Activia digestive yogurt brand. Wiig first appeared in a skit alongside Ashton Kutcher and Amy Poehler, where Curtis has an accident during filming. The skit was received so well, that Wigg played Curtis again in another skit.

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However, Wiig revealed to Entertainment Weekly that she actually ate multiple cups of real Activia yogurt to film the skit. She asked them to switch to regular yogurt for the second skit.

"Then I told them it was a bad idea," Wiig said, "that’s how I’m going to word that. It works. Now they fill it with regular yogurt."

Kristen Talked To Will Forte In Preparation For Her 'Saturday Night Live' Audition

Before Wiig began her journey as an actress and comedian, she told Women's Health about the moment she decided she wanted to pursue this career.

"It was the day before I was about to start," she began. "I was living in a house with three other girls, who were gone for the summer, so it was just me. I remember looking around and thinking, 'I don't want this to be my life.' Then I looked in the mirror and was like, 'OK, if you could do anything, what would it be?' And I thought, 'I would move to L.A. Just try to act.'"

"Even though I'd only ever taken one acting class. The next day, the Jetta was packed and I was gone, freaking out the whole way."

When speaking to The New York Times in 2013, she revealed she talked to Will Forte before her audition and was prepped by her manager beforehand.

"I talked to Will Forte [in preparation]," Wiig said. "My manager had some of her other clients audition, so she knew the deal. I was told: 'You’re going to be in a dark room. Don’t be thrown off if they don’t laugh. You don’t need wigs or props. Just do five minutes.'"

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Wigg ended up buying a stopwatch, because she was nervous her audition would go past five minutes. However, she later learned some auditions lasted 11 minutes. Regardless, Wiig's initial audition went well and she was asked to stay an extra day and meet SNL creator Lorne Michaels.

Kristen Said That She Feels Safer Playing A Character Than She Does Socializing With People

When Wiig was called back to audition a second time, she was unsure of what to do.

"I’m not a stand-up, so I don’t ever perform onstage by myself," Wiig said. "This was: “'Hi, I’m Kristen. Here’s my stuff.' The only light in the room is on you. You hear voices, and you see the red light on the camera go on, and you just have to do it. It made me have such a stronger respect for comedians — people that just get up there with a microphone and talk to the audience. To me, that’s just terrifying."

Despite being a terrifying experience, Wiig said that performing on stage as a character is much more comfortable than speaking on stage as herself.

"I'm actually not very good at public speaking or talking in a big group—even socially—as myself," Wiig told NPR. "Playing a character is much safer to me. So getting up and someone telling me to do a monologue as a character, I could talk for 10 minutes. But if someone told me to get up and be myself and talk, I would have a much harder time with that."

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She continued, "I think a lot of people assume that you are what you do. And that happens to me all the time when I do interviews, or even when I just like, go to a dinner. I think people think I’m going to throw on a wig and start tap-dancing on the table."

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