Tina Fey, who once declared that “authenticity is dangerous and expensive” when you’re in the public eye, nevertheless got candid about her plans to
Tina Fey, who once declared that “authenticity is dangerous and expensive” when you’re in the public eye, nevertheless got candid about her plans to retreat from the spotlight in a Hollywood Reporter interview published Wednesday.
“The impulse to hide and retire is very strong because I do think it’s time to help new voices get in the mix,” the 54-year-old said. “It’s something I’m already doing, but I want to do more. Even on the walk over here, I was like, I am so tired of hearing from me. Surely everyone else is tired of hearing from the same people over and over again.”
Throughout the course of her career, Fey has helped create a slew of films and TV shows, including Mean Girls, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the upcoming Netflix series The Four Seasons, debuting on May 1. Now Fey straddles the line between championing fresher talent and being tapped to succeed a comedy giant.
Case in point: In the interview, Fey dismissed the idea that she’d return to host the Golden Globes, instead praising the awards show’s newest emcee, who will take on the role for the second year in a row: “Nikki Glaser killed it at the Globes, and she should keep that job forever.”
But when asked about Saturday Night Live creator and producer Lorne Michaels’s comment that Fey, a former head writer for the NBC sketch series, “could easily” take over for him, she replied, “It was nice of him to say that, and I love him very much,” but “he’s irreplaceable,” adding, “His set of gifts and skills are entirely unique. His eye for talent! He’s one of the last three people in show business who actually understand everything. I’ll leave it at that.”
Recently, Fey has proven to be a voice of reason, notably publicizing her “problem with rich people having a side hustle” during an appearance on friend Amy Poehler’s podcast. Fey said that all she needed was to feel “safe” and to have “enough money to live,” explaining her objection to securing another source of income—like, say, a hair care or eyewear line—outside of showbiz.
And when the time comes to step out of the spotlight, Fey will be elated to do so. “People who know me have said, ‘You wouldn’t be able to retire. You’d be so unhappy,’” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Wrong! I’d still be busy all the time. It would just be with dumb stuff.”
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