It was good while it lasted, but as it turns out Alec Baldwin might not be portraying President Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" for much longer. Baldwin, who was recently quoted at ExtraTV.com, claimed "His policies aside, which you can hate, I thought he would have just relaxed. The maliciousness of this White House has people worried...that’s why I’m not going to do it much longer, the impersonation, I don’t know how much more people can take it” (March 6, 2017).
Is Baldwin just stirring controversy?
The quote is an interesting one in that Baldwin, while suggesting that the gig might be up soon, does something that would actually seem to suggest the exact opposite.
In saying that he doesn't "know how much more people can take (his impersonation of Trump)," Baldwin seems to place his portrayal of the president into the controversial and provoking, two elements of good ratings in the show-biz industry. It could be that he's just trying to step away from the role in a way that seems altruistic (ie. he's doing it to "spare" people), but then with the way he arguably plugs for himself and the role it might be that he's just trying to bring some more attention his way.
It's certainly not a bad time for Baldwin to do a little bit of self-promotion. Later this month, a flick that he was involved in the production of as a voice actor will be hitting the theaters.
Tom McGrath directed 2017's "The Boss Baby," a film that is described at IMDB.com as one where "A suit-wearing briefcase-carrying baby pairs up with his seven-year old brother to stop the dastardly plot of the CEO of Puppy Co." The three-dimensional computer-animated movie also features the voices of Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Steve Buscemi, and Tobey Maguire.
Who would replace Baldwin if he goes?
While Donald Trump might not like being lampooned in the "SNL" skits, Baldwin quitting the gig wouldn't inherently mean that the president will no longer be targeted in comedy. It's very common for politicians to be the subject of ridicule in the media and comedy so if Baldwin does stop portraying the president, as he suggests that he will, that would arguably just leave an opportunity for someone else to portray him.
That said, Baldwin's portrayal has become so iconic over the last half-year that anyone that does take the role would have a tough act to follow. That's not a great spot to be in in show biz so maybe if Baldwin steps down it would lead to a hiatus of targeting Trump in the weekend late-night comedy skits for at least a little while.
