The Skill That Helped Chloe Fineman Get Her Spot On SNL
Chloe Fineman possesses an impressive talent that led to her landing a position on "Saturday Night Live." The comedian first joined "SNL" as a featured player in the show's 45th season, as Entertainment Weekly wrote in 2019. The news outlet shared that Fineman had previously taken the stage with improv troupe companies such as the Upright Citizens Brigade and the Groundlings. Since securing the role of regular cast member on the iconic sketch comedy show, Fineman has opened up about her love for comedy.
"Laughing just makes you feel the best, and I think there's nothing more beautiful than not taking yourself seriously," Fineman told People for their Beautiful Issue in 2022. "And I think people I've found beautiful forever are those kind of people." In addition, Fineman expressed her joy in being a cast member of "SNL," adding, "I think anything I've done on the show is really an accomplishment that I'm very proud of because it's sort of this magic show every week you get to be a part of where you're like, 'Oh my God, they made what?! How?!' ... And getting to be with all those people is really exciting." Though she's displayed a range of comedic talents during her years on "SNL" thus far, there's a specific skill Fineman has that stands out most amongst her performances.
Chloe Fineman's talent for impersonations helped her earn an SNL position
Comedian Chloe Fineman's execution of spot-on impressions is one of the talents that resulted in her becoming an "SNL" cast member. As she revealed to the Jewish Journal in 2020, Fineman's impressions started in her youth when she imitated her Aunt Eileen. Fineman told the site that Eileen "had the most incredible Baltimore accent" that she couldn't help but recreate. When she went on to pursue comedy in adulthood, Fineman "kept leaning into impressions and putting them online purely because it was fun," she explained. After she began studying at the Groundlings comedy club, Fineman "suddenly had this huge passion for dressing up in wigs," which resulted in her "dreaming about 'SNL.'"
Since joining the legendary comedy series, Fineman has executed first-rate impressions of stars such as Drew Barrymore, Elizabeth Olsen, Timothée Chalamet, Britney Spears, and more. In addition, Fineman impersonated her fellow cast members for a skit, mimicking Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Melissa Villaseñor, and more. The performer has also documented many of her impersonations on her Instagram account. Most recently, she's posted impressions of a few major celebrities: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Coolidge, and Meryl Streep. Fineman's highly accurate impersonations have led to the comedian gaining the approval of some of the celebs she's mimicked.
Celebrities love Chloe Fineman's 'amazing' impressions
Chloe Fineman's convincing impressions have caught the attention of several A-list stars — Fineman has even been able to carry out imitations in front of the celebrities she mimics. During a 2021 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Fineman sat down with Julianne Moore and recreated Moore's voice for the "Still Alice" star. "I do a thing, 'Is this Julianne Moore laughing or crying?'" Fineman said before making a laughing/crying sound with Moore's vocal inflections. "I love it! That's amazing," Moore said with a laugh. The two performers then did the imitation together.
Also in 2021, Fineman chatted with Drew Barrymore for her daytime talk show and received compliments from Barrymore on her "SNL" impressions, including a fan-favorite 2020 impersonation she did of Barrymore. "I love that you always commit 'cause I think that sometimes, especially when it's impressions, you just want to fall into it," Barrymore said to Fineman. "So the way that you design everything really I think helps that delicious spoon feed. You don't have to over-concentrate, you get right in and you start enjoying at word 'go.'" The "Fever Pitch" star additionally told Fineman that during the time of the COVID-19 lockdown, Fineman "brought so much joy," and Barrymore "immediately reposted [the impression]." Next up, Fineman will get to showcase her talent for drama, as she has been announced as a star of Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming film, "Megalopolis," Deadline shared on Oct. 4.