Every ‘Saturday Night,’ the Stars Smile for Her
The New York Times
The woman who has photographed 25 years of “S.N.L.” hosts knows how to coax playful shots out of Kim Kardashian, Helen Mirren and Donald Trump.
Mary Ellen Matthews was trying to make the cast of “Saturday Night Live” look funny. Bouncing around a studio in Lower Manhattan in cowboy boots last week, she lobbed suggestions at four cast members like the leader of an improv troupe.
“Group hug!”
“How about a trust fall?”
“You guys are all about to start a race: ready, set, go!”
Her camera clicked away as James Austin Johnson squatted on a stool and flapped his arms like a duck. He bit into an everything bagel, while Ego Nwodim tossed her bagel (cinnamon raisin) overhead.
Since 2000, Ms. Matthews has been the official photographer for “S.N.L.,” where she is responsible for visually sumptuous and conceptually nutty images that manage to transmit the show’s sense of humor without the luxury of dialogue.
