Remember Saturday Night Live’s Rachel Dratch- who played Debbie Downer and did a dead-on impersonation of Harry Potter? Dratch left the show two years ago and has had small roles in a few movies and TV shows since then, including the Tina Fey comedy “30 Rock,” but she hasn’t found the same success as some of the other funny women from SNL. Adding insult to injury, Dratch was saddened by the recent Vanity Fair cover story on the rise of comediennes- the included most of her old co-stars, but not her.
Rachel Dratch is learning it’s not funny being an out-of-work comedian. She left Saturday Night Live two years ago and then was replaced on 30 Rock. What’s she up to now? “Maybe you can tell me,” she said at a Smart People screening on March 31. “I know you’re supposed to come up with fake stuff you’re doing. But honestly, I’m not doing much.” After SNL’s hectic pace, isn’t downtime nice? “It’s starting to get old,” she said. “I’m starting to go crazy. I’m ready for a job.” The low point came, she said, when last month’s Vanity Fair arrived with its cover story on women in comedy, featuring a dozen top comediennes—none of whom was Dratch. “Dude, that was a dark day,” she recalled. “I was like, Oh, there’s everyone I worked with.” She’s not picky about her next gig. “I’d work in a black-box theater company at this point,” she said. “I’d work with George W.”
I admit- I didn’t even think of Rachel when that story came out. I was so excited to see Amy Sedaris and Tina Fey on the same magazine cover that she slipped my mind. And I think, in a nutshell, that’s Rachel’s problem. She’s talented and funny, but not very memorable. If her greatest claim to fame is Debbie Downer- which was never all that funny and was done to death on the show- then it’s not a huge surprise that her career’s in trouble. But I do think she could be very funny in character roles, if given a chance. Hopefully some Hollywood casting director will read this and give Rachel a call. Because the thought of her working for George W. is very sad to me.
Rachel Dratch is shown at the “There Will Be Blood” premiere on 12/10/07, thanks to PRPhotos.
Her SNL stuff was pretty good, though she did play the same kind of character nearly all the time. She had a short stint on King of Queens before it went off the air, and was pretty funny as Paton Oswalt’s dorky girlfriend. Hope she finds work soon.
The fact that she’s wearing a sparkly night shirt with nasty boots to a film premiere might not be helping her cause.
who knew she had such big tatas?
Isn’t she the one who accused Matthew McCon. of feeling her up during one of his guest apperances on Saturday Night live?
I’ve never seen what the big deal was about Rachel Dratch–I’ve never found her all that funny, and I didn’t think she added much to either SNL or 30 Rock.
I do wonder why Wanda Sykes wasn’t mentioned in the Vanity Fair article.
I thought Rachel Dratch was funny in the Boston skits with Jimmy Fallon. She’s funny but probably more as a bit player than a leading role kind of gal.
Hey, she was great on SNL. She was awesome when they did The Boston Teens, and who can forget Qterplix? That shit gave me nightmares…oh and Wake Up Wakefield was fuckin amazing!!
Kate, Wanda Sykes was in the Vanity Fair article and the pictorial- just not on the cover.
Ratchel Dratch is likable x 1000! I love that she’s so easy going and just talks about how she feels openly. She knows she’s too talented to be missing out on work.
I totally look up to her. The fact that she got so far without looking a certain way says a lot about her talent. The article blows ass in it’s POV that female comics have to be pretty now- hopefully people will realize what’s going on and backlash against it. “Ugly” girls need a voice, that’s the POINT of female comics!
I loved her on SNL!
Zazoo, Sheldon, So many great characters.
I bid you adieu….
Amy: “”Ugly” girls need a voice, that’s the POINT of female comics!”
What a steaming pile!
So only ugly women are funny? Are you perhaps laughing at their looks instead of their comedy?
Because that would prove you to be quite ugly yourself, and also thoroughly missing the point.
Moaning Myrtle, that’s who she looks like and she’s creepy.
I have no clue who this woman is – but coming out with the “I’ll even work in a black box theatre” at this point… christ, that’s not exactly going to endear you to a future employer is it?
If you’re unemployed either be grateful for what you’re offered or get back out onto the live circuit again love.
As for the pretty vs ugly debate… to be frank ugly women don’t have as easy a ride as pretty ones, are expected to be tougher and are more likely to suffer from extraordinary rudeness from others over their looks. Therefore it gives you a particular slant on life and developing a wry sense of humour about it is one good defense mechanism.
(I’m not saying that men don’t get that either -but a gang of lads are more likely to jeer an ugly woman than man, because the man is better able to kick the tar out of them)
Take the UK’s Jo Brand, she’s gotten it in the neck from critics (and others) for years and uses it wonderfully to make her audience laugh at her critics not with them.
Thanks, MSat. I did a search of the online version and didn’t find her, but maybe she got edited out if VF shortens their articles for online publication.
Everything below her neck looks fine. She was pretty funny on SNL.
The reason Wanda Sykes was “mentioned but not on the cover” is because Vanity Fair has a nasty history of not putting black celebs on the cover of their magazine. Years ago Halle Berry refused to attend the VF Oscar party(the year she won,no less) because her agent had approached them about a cover at a time when she was really hot,and they refused. Other black celebs have had similar experiences with them.
Jamie, the overall thing I noticed (again, I was looking at the online version) was that it would have been good to see more women of color.
Agreed
Unfortunately, Ms. Dratch pretty much was a one noter. Her skits, aside from the Boston/Fallon skits, were unmemorable to say the least.
It’s nice to know she’ll work with G.W., though. Although I imagine working with another, soon-to-be loser like Hillary, is more her style.
I only really saw her Harry Potter skit and I didn’t like it. Don’t know if it was the skit or her that I disliked more, but either way, I can see why she isn’t as popular as her peers.
The character acting thing is right on, because unfortunately her looks pigeonhole her in suppoting roles (kooky, quirky ones at best), not leading ones.
You’d think by now Lorne Michaels would have done The Drooling Retarded Mutant with a Baby’s Arm Growing Out of Its Head: The Movie.
I dont get why people are ragging on her looks I think SJP is just as unattractive yet she manages to work alot. perhaps Dracth is not stylish enough?
I have always enjoyed Rachel,s work. I think she is adorable and hillarious. Rachel, if you are reading this,Will you marry me?
Supposedly she was supposed to play Jane Krakowski’s role, but the execs wanted someone hotter and she got relegated to a bit part.
But she’s not in Tina Fey’s new movie, so maybe they had a falling out? They were supposed to be close friends before.
Although I loved Jane Krakowski in that Midnight Train to Georgia number they did on a season finale of 30 Rock.
Sheesh…I didn’t even realize she was gone from SNL. Seriously. She’s “supporting actor” material at best, not a star. No IT factor at work here.
I was more bothered by that Vanity Faire article’s complete lack of love for any of the talented folks from MadTV…no Debra Wilson, no Nicole Sullivan, no Alex Borstein…what’s up with that?
I alway loved watching “Saturday Night Live”, when Rachel Dratch was a “regular” on the show. It wasn’t just her “Debbie Downer” act. I have been reading some of the comments from other people who have watched SNL and I have to disagree with them, when they said that she wasn’t that funny and a one “act” comedienne. After she left I emailed Lorne Michaels to ask that she be allowed to be shown on the “E” channel, if no other place. I was able to watch her for a few months, but since then, because she is not on the program anymore, the show is going “down the tubes”,if you ask me. It is not the same. Beside losing Gilda Radner and Molly Shannon and Rachel Dratch, I would have to guess that it will only last for another season or two and then, it will be discontinued!
Rach has a character actress’s face. But those roles usually go to men. I saw her on the street once and we talked. As she walked away she said, “Wangle, wangle, wangle; you’re going to love the ogre triangle.” Weird, but I guess that’s life in New York/Hollywood.
I really like your post, thanks a bunch for this info 🙂
Interesting, really nice ideas for people
Great Blog, where did you get the nice design? I will follow you
nice post, you do a great job
Im grateful for the post.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.