Leslie Jones’s every sentence is delivered with an enthusiasm (and volume) that few other comics come close to. But, if you think so Saturday Night Live The alum, Peacock’s latest improv special Life part twoYou see her approaching her peak… you say you’d be wrong. That’s not to say the comedian and actress’s final hour isn’t a frenetic marathon that takes in dating, aging, treatment, and Jones’ hopes for her funeral. It’s just Jones saying she’s still holding back — for the benefit of her audience. During a recent conversation with Hollywood Reporterwho touched on her fraught past in the comments section and her thoughts on the future of her old NBC gig, and explained why no one is ever ready for it. most.
When I was watching your latest special, I was amazed by the high level of energy you maintain for so long. How do you prepare yourself to put in those kind of hours every night when you’re on tour?
This isn’t even a level I can reach. That’s five or six. The crazy thing is, that’s the only thing Lorne was doing [Michaels] It used to really push me to do that: find the levels. He was like, “You always start.” here. You have nowhere to go! But that’s what I am. I’d rather have people ask me to pull me back than ask me to build.
If that’s just five or six, what’s 10 for you?
You know? I can’t reach 10. Ten is dangerous for me. The world is not ready for 10. That’s when I get to be completely honest and open and hit you squarely. And I don’t do that very often, because people don’t know how to interpret that – if that makes any sense.
You talk a lot about age in your work and at this particular hour. What is the biggest advantage of achieving success after turning 40 and what is the biggest disadvantage?
Maturity, because you’re a little more patient. Your critical thinking is a little clearer. You know what to do and what not to do. It’s easier to make it a community for other people. When you’re young, you don’t really care. You’re just like, “Take the joke!” Now, I think about my audience. I think about what I want to say. I think about what I want to communicate. I think about what I want people to learn from what I do. The downside is that I’m old. (He laughs.) One day I was like, “Oh my God, if I were 42 or 37 now…” because I’m doing seven things at once. I know there was a time in my life when I would have said, “This is nothing.” Now, Lord, I’m tired.
In the time since you left SNLDo you feel like Hollywood — and I think I’m talking about acting in particular — has a better handle on what you’re good at and the kinds of things you want to do?
i don’t think so. not yet. I think they are catching up. Hollywood moves very slowly, slower than people think. When I left SNLEveryone considered me a comedian and sketch artist. So, of course, all you’re going to get is comedy and that kind of thing. But being an artist, I have to be able to take things that show Hollywood that I can do this or this or this. Part of my job is to choose those jobs that… [let people] He sees me doing different things. I don’t think Hollywood does that to any artist. I don’t think they find out until someone notices them
I realize you wrote about Ghostbusters In your memoir, you write about dealing with all the sexist and racist criticism that surrounded the film, but what did you learn from that experience that you applied to your career?
I guess we didn’t have everyone behind us. The rush of comments and the backlash to them really scared the production. They freaked out a little. And it didn’t help that people like Trump said, “This can’t be! Women are ghost hunters?” It was just a complete campaign against women. What I’ve learned is, first and foremost, that not everyone thinks the same way. There really are chauvinists out there. There really are racists. I’m not saying I didn’t know that. I didn’t think it was as bad as it was that day. But it’s worse because of the Internet. I don’t think so [other] Girls got the things I got, because I had people spitting on my head, taking advantage of my head. The worst things. I’ve learned that there are crazy people out there – and I had to learn this the hard way – but you can’t give them any window. You can’t give them any life at all. You have to block out the noise, because that’s all there is to it. It’s noise. And do you know what else I learned? I learned that most of these people are just disappointed fans.
The whole concept of toxic fandom confuses me because, beyond the anger and reactionary thinking, because who cares about the movie franchise that much?
Do you know what madness is? Ghostbusters is not a real thing. If you see a ghost, call the police. Contact your pastor. Don’t call the ghost hunters. We are not real. It’s a movie.
Have you been able to separate yourself from the tweets, comments, and online discourse about your business?
I care a lot. I care if people get hurt, so I look at everything. I look at all the comments. I look at all of it. It’s not good. But I care about things like this, because I don’t want to die inside.
Why be dead inside for not caring about things like this?
I feel like a government employee when I do comedy. So it’s very important to listen. I don’t listen to everything. I laugh when they say something they really mean. I laugh and stop them. But I would listen if a woman said like, “I didn’t really like the way you told that joke.” If it’s valid, I’ll go, okay, let me edit. If not, you don’t have to worry about it. I know that everyone has a different way of receiving things.
To go back to Lorne for a minute. As a person still in SNL Orbit, why do you think everyone is fascinated by the idea of his retirement? I realize I’m feeding into that by bringing it up.
Because he is old. (He laughs.) If he was young, you wouldn’t think so. That’s because he’s older. The biggest question for me is… is SNL Will he continue this when he leaves? I wonder if this will happen. I honestly think it would all be over if Keenan left. If Keenan leaves, I guess SNL It may be over. I don’t know. It is an anchor. He is a rock. It is a powerful tree in the forest. I’m telling you, that boy, I love him so much. I hadn’t gotten through SNL Without Keenan.
I was featured on Ziwe not long ago. She’s famous for giving these very engaging interviews. It’s almost performance art. It’s like you didn’t get the memo. Do you really have no idea what you’re sitting down for?
No one told me. Nobody fucking told me. Everyone around me is like, “You’re going to play Ziwe. She’s great. She’s got a lot of followers. You know, just be careful. She’s a bit sarcastic.” No one told me that bitch anger baits! I would have gone there with a completely different attitude. I met her at a Knicks game, so I think she’s pretty cute. It’s harmless. Then I entered the room and a barracuda appeared. She was about to drop me off at ten. I thought I was going to ruin my career. I really did.
