Maya Rudolph on her inspirations for that “SNL” 'Mother' opening monologue number — and her hopes for “Loot” season 3

Maya Rudolph has been busy.

"The good news is, I didn't do them all at the same time, and animation takes forever, so at least we can stagger these things," the five-time Emmy-winning actress says on EW's The Awardist podcast, after hearing a list of her projects this past year: Loot. Saturday Night Live. Big Mouth. and The Second-Best Hospital in the Galaxy.

The SNL alum returned to her roots to guest host this year's Mother's Day episode, where she implored the world to call her "Mother" in her opening monologue musical performance. In typical SNL fashion, Rudolph says they only got to rehearse the number — which included backup dancers, and various cast members, and went behind the scenes of Studio 8H — a couple times.

A huge relief, then, that they "really pulled it off," she says. But she really only has herself to blame. "I knew I wanted to do a monologue that went around the studio," she recalls. "Those are my favorite kinds and I always try to do stuff like that... that feeling of the original DNA of the show of what could happen or using the entire space. Those are my favorite monologues, and I always think back to Steve Martin dancing with Gilda throughout the studio."

But having been part of the SNL cast for seven seasons, she's used to the last-minute nature of changes and additions. That's "the fun of it," she says, revealing she didn't even get to practice with the hand fan she clacks open at the end of the number. Though that was seemingly not high on her list of concerns: "I was very excited that I didn’t trip because they added the smoke at the end."

While the number itself paid tribute to mothers of all kind, Rudolph also used the song to pay tribute to a few artists. "I wanted that monologue to be a play on mother and RuPaul’s 'Call Me Mother,'" she says, "and Madonna's 'Vogue' performance from [MTV's VMAs] and Beyoncé's Renaissance — everything all wrapped up in one. All my favorite sweets in one bite."

Meanwhile, on the Apple TV+ comedy series Loot, which recently wrapped up its second season, Rudolph's Molly Kovak isn't so much "mother" as she is "wealthy ex-wife." After catching her husband (Adam Scott) cheating on her in the series pilot and eventually getting $87 billion in the divorce, she has been donating her money to worthy causes, including housing for the homeless in Los Angeles. But Molly can't quite quit her life of luxury.

Related: Maya Rudolph's Beyoncé still can't handle the heat in SNL's Hot Ones parody sequel: 'Why can't I slay this?'

"It's hard for us to leave the luxury behind too much because it is the fun and it's where a lot of the comedy lives," Rudolph says. "I also just love getting to play this character that has these highs and lows. And when I say lows, I really mean the realities along with ridiculousness. I think those are both really fun places to play and I think that it gives some sort of balance to this character. I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love to play just the ridiculous, out-of-touchness forever, but I think in order for the show to actually have some relatability, it has to actually be tied to reality at some point. And she's got that, she's got these experiences that really are real life things that we experience that are tough or not as easy as we think."

That reliability is apparently work, especially with a specific part of the viewing demographic.

"I haven't met any of the wives yet, but I have noticed that, this season specifically, far more super-rich people will come up to me and say, 'We love the show... You're getting it right.' And I'm like, what does that mean?" Rudolph says, surprised by the reaction. "It just feels like it's all such a secret still to me, this secret society kind of feeling."

Related: To their surprise, Loot showrunners 'know for a fact' that billionaires have watched the show

While the series has not yet been renewed for season 3, the second season ended on a bit of a cliff hanger, after Molly professed her feelings to her foundation accountant Arthur (Nat Faxon), who've been flirty all season...until he got a girlfriend. Heartbroken and embarrassed, Molly rushes to her PJ (private jet) with her assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster) — destination unknown.

"I'd like to see what happens. I'd like to see where they go or where they end up," she ponders. "I would love to see Molly on a beach. Who knows what kind of accessories that brings. I would love to see her all over the world, really. That's the thing — with unlimited funds, you have unlimited destinations. You got the PJ, you got the yacht, who knows where you could go."

Listen to the full episode of The Awardist podcast below, where Rudolph shares her thoughts on rumors of SNL boss Lorne Michaels retiring after season 50 and working with fellow SNL alum Ana Gasteyer on season 2 of Loot. Plus, we chat with The Gilded Age star Carrie Coon.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.