‘SNL’: Carey Mulligan Gets Dramatic With Kid Cudi in New Promo

Carey Mulligan is best known for her dramatic roles, and she had a little trouble transitioning to comedy in the promos for her Saturday Night Live appearance this weekend. Mulligan appeared alongside musical guest Kid Cudi and cast member Kenan Thompson in promos filmed at Studio 8H. The trio acknowledged that fans might not know what to expect from the Promising Young Woman star.

“Hi, I’m Carey Mulligan, and I’ll be hosting SNL this week with musical guest Kid Cudi,” Mulligan began three different promos this week. In one of them, Thompson remarked: “Carey, your movies are pretty serious. Are you ready to loosen up with us?” With that, dramatic music began along with a slow zoom-in on Mulligan, who delivered a mock dramatic monologue. “Kenan, I’m ever so glad you asked,” she said. “We’ve all been through so much this year, but I must tell you, as God as my witness, I am ready to — no! I’m kidding, I’m not like that.”

While Mulligan shook off the drama quickly, Cudi wiped away a tear, saying: “That was riveting though.” Mulligan’s dramatic reputation is well-earned — she is an acclaimed movie star with a number of prestigious awards to her name, and more potentially on the way. She is nominated for an Oscar for best actress this year for her performance in Promising Young Woman. The Oscars are not until Sunday, April 25, so Mulligan could be a winner by the end of this month.

In the meantime, she joins SNL for another episode in a season marked by the coronavirus pandemic. Mulligan, Cudi and Thompson all wore masks in the promo, as the participants have all this year. The whole season has struck a tentative balance between precautions, restrictions and comedy.

Mulligan is likely joining the show this week in anticipation of the Oscars later this month, but she also has a movie due out sometime this year. She co-stars in Maestro with Bradley Cooper, who also wrote and directed the movie, along with screenwriter Josh Singer. Mulligan and Cooper play a married couple over the course of their 30-year-long relationship.

So far, there is no release date set for Maestro — possibly due to the COVID-19 restrictions on movie theaters. However, Mulligan takes the stage for SNL this weekend regardless. The episode begins at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.