Late nights in the “Saturday Night Live” writing room are stuff of legend. Some of the best gems of Paula Pell’s career started there, including doofy elementary student Gilly, who Pell created after watching Kristen Wiig entertain everyone with funny faces. It’s also where, at 1 a.m., Pell would conduct staged readings of the teenage diary she kept since age 13, dramatically re-enacting her concerns about animals and rock tumblers.
“Everyone at ‘SNL’ was just obsessed with [it],” recalls Pell, 52. “I was a very earthly, matronly, plus-size little girl with a pure heart. I was really dramatic, really concerned with love or life.”
The other character in the diary was her sister, the “beautiful ’70s foxy fly girl” who always had a boyfriend.
The diary eventually became the basis for the film “Sisters,” a story about two grown siblings who throw one last rager in their childhood home before their parents sell it. Out in December, it stars Pell’s “SNL” pals Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who both produced the eagerly anticipated movie.
“There’s no one you would rather see than Tina and Amy playing actual siblings,” Pell says.
Pell’s been a mostly behind-the-scenes force at “SNL” since 1995, even as she’s crafted some of the most beloved sketches of all time (the Spartan cheerleaders and Debbie Downer are just two claims to fame).
But now, the spotlight is finally finding her: Last week, HBO announced it’s developing a half-hour comedy series from Pell, which she co-wrote with Michelle Lawler, about a fallen Olympic skater who returns home to confront the people who have cashed in on her success.
Pell says a lot of characters are based on real people she’d study sitting in Beverly, Mass., bars at 9 a.m., and that HBO was the natural home for it.
“It feels almost more like a movie,” she says. “It just feels a little more focused, less people involved.”
On top of that, her Web series, “Hudson Valley Ballers,” is in the middle of a killer second season (Episode 5 is out Wednesday), boasting such guest stars as Natasha Lyonne, Lena Dunham and Alex Karpovsky. The show, featured on “SNL” head honcho Lorne Michaels’ Above Average YouTube network, is based on a fictionalized version of Pell and her real-life “SNL” writer pal and longtime friend James Anderson, who open a bed and brunch in the Hudson Valley. It’s a bit like a “Portlandia” take on life upstate.
“ ‘Hudson Valley Ballers’ is just the joy of my life,” says Pell, who was inspired to do the web series by her own move to the Hudson Valley years ago. “The two times we’ve done a season of it, we’ve rejuvenated my soul.”
It’s not the only thing being revived: A recent viewing of the first season was accompanied by a lot of Viagra ads.
“I freaking love that,” Pell says, with a laugh. “It’s like what, because we’re two old mares? I’m a late bloomer, so I’m going to embrace it all.”