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one thing in common back when she was on the show. We were really left to write for ourselves. You know, it was pretty much up to us. We could never really assume some writer would take care of us. There are some performers that could assume that. But Cheri and I are more specific, I think. And we had our stock characters, so it was a little difficult for us, and I guess it was a little rough for Cheri. This place can be very unfair, and I think it was a little unfair to her sometimes — like it was up to her every week to come up with something or she’s not on the show. Which is a real bummer, and that’s happened to me a lot. So I’m like, “Oh God, I guess I’ve got to come up with a new character for this week,” because I am one of the people that can’t assume that a writer will take care of me unless that person takes a chance.

TINA FEY:

Certain words chill the audience regardless of context, “rape” being one of them. There’s a piece that Adam McKay wrote for Rachel Dratch to do in “Update” that was so funny to all of us, it was about some guys who had written a book about how rape is natural. It was just part of the caveman mentality that lives within all of us and it’s part of nature. And Rachel did this “Update” feature as herself talking about how she agreed with the book and how she loved to rape dudes and graphically described these rapes that she had done on men and got into how she was going to rape the two male authors of the book. And Rachel is, you know, pint-sized and adorable — but the audience, even though it was her saying those things, they just could not, did not, go with her on that.

JIMMY FALLON:

I never complain about anything. I could care less. The only complaint I have, which I hope it never gets to this point, is I never want to get out there because I’m me and the piece is in front of me and it’s like, “We need to put Jimmy in the show.” Because they do that sometimes. Like, “We’ve got to put Molly in the show.” I never want to be that guy. I don’t want to do crap. I don’t want people seeing me do a bad piece. If it doesn’t work, then cut it. You have to think of what’s going to work and is everyone happy. I’m one of the guys who’s more for the show than for me.

CHERI OTERI:

I talked to Laraine Newman about stress. She talked about how are you going to deal with the pressures because there’s so much pressure here. And I was a mess my first three years. I was very emotional. I cried a lot, and it didn’t all just have to do with the show. I felt very lonely for some reason. I went to work and then I went home, I went to work and then I went home. Maybe that was my fault, but I don’t want to do much outside of work. I don’t know why.

I think I don’t love New York. I’m from Philadelphia, I’m an East Coast person and I fit in peoplewise here, but I don’t know, it’s sad here. I feel like I’m always in a building. And I have that bipolar thing too, and I’m claustrophobic, so I always feel like just closed in. You don’t see daylight very much, and my office doesn’t have a window. You can get an office with a window, but then you have to share with somebody. It was really difficult. It was very, very emotional. But then Laraine gave me good advice. She said, “You know, Cheri, back then therapy wasn’t what it is today. Drugs were taken to deal with the pressure, but we were so young. And you didn’t think you were abusing it and you didn’t think you were taking it for the pressure. You were just partying. But when you party to the point you’re emaciated, that’s not good.” They partied hard back then. And she said, “I can’t imagine how you deal with the pressure.” And I told her I wasn’t dealing with it well for three years. There was no escape, so I was like crying all the time. I would go to bed in disappointment — so much was so very, very emotional. And then I realized it, “I need help with this.” And then — I started taking drugs. No, I’m kidding!

DARRELL HAMMOND:

Sometimes they don’t give me the assignment until Thursday or Friday, and there are times I can’t get the voice by Saturday. You