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KEY POINTS
- Maya Rudolph appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2009
- She felt “embarrassed and humiliated” after David Letterman said her name wrong
- The “SNL” star said she “didn’t know how to handle it” and couldn’t come up with something funny to say
Maya Rudolph had a disappointing encounter with David Letterman that left her heartbroken.
Rudolph revealed that she “did not have a good time” when she first appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2009.
“He said my name wrong, and I just sat there, like, I grew up my whole life in love with you. And now my heart is broken. And I’m sitting here embarrassed and humiliated,” Rudolph, 50, told WSJ. magazine in an interview published Friday.
“I didn’t know how to handle it,” she continued. “I didn’t know how to come up with something funny to say. My public persona muscle wasn’t strong yet.”
Letterman apologized to the actress later in the show, which Rudolph was visiting to promote her film “Away We Go.”
“I’m sorry that I mispronounced your name,” the host said at the time, according to People. “I’m just a boob, there’s no excuse for it, and from the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize.”
Rudolph was pregnant when she appeared on “Letterman.” Today, the “Bridesmaids” star shares four children with partner Paul Thomas Anderson: Pearl, 17, Lucille, 12, Jack, 11, and Minnie, 9.
The comedian, who rose to fame after joining “Saturday Night Live” in 1999, admitted to struggling with interviews and red-carpet appearances in the early days of her career. But she has since found a way to deal with it.
“It would always feel like someone was stealing my soul,” Rudolph told WSJ. magazine. “That’s where, over the years, I created a persona to protect myself.”
She added, “I’ve definitely gotten much better. When I’m uncomfortable, I try to be funny.”
Despite having been in showbiz for decades, Rudolph still doesn’t consider herself a celebrity.
“I know I’m a working actor and people know who I am, but I don’t feel like a celebrity, because that word means something else today to me,” she explained to the magazine. “There are a lot of different types of celebrities these days and a lot of self-made celebrities where people are famous for being famous, and that isn’t what I do.”
Rudolph also revealed that her priority is her family regardless of how busy her schedule is. She acknowledged that some “people who’ve worked as long as I have make other choices and have nicer cars” but said she doesn’t regret choosing to balance her family and career.
Reuters
