Maya Rudolph: she took comedy notes on Gilda, now she's getting diva lessons from Donatella

Interview, Oct, 2002 by Donatella Versace

Self-described California girl and Lakers fan Maya Rudolph grew up in an L.A. showbiz family. Her mother was singer Minnie Riperton and her father is songwriter and producer Richard Rudolph, and Rudolph spent her early years standing backstage watching her parents perform. Although she followed them into a music career, Rudolph soon turned to her first love, comedy, joining the Groundlings, L.A.'s renowned theater group. In 2000 she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live and found a way to combine both of her talents with her hilarious parodies of singers including Nelly Furtado and Destiny's Child. But it is her impersonation of Donatella Versace that is fast becoming Rudolph's trademark. La Versace has seen her imitator and approves, although she believes the 30-year-old could use a few lessons in how to be a diva. So, with Ingrid Sischy moving the conversation along from her office in New York, Rudolph sat pen in hand at the Covent Garden Hotel in London, while Versace reclined in her suite at the Ritz hot el in Paris, surrounded by her communications director, two assistants, a hair stylist, makeup artist and assorted bodyguards. Welcome to Diva 101.

INGRID SISCHY: Hi, Donatella.

DONATELLA VERSACE: Hi, Ingrid. How are you?

IS: Good. So we've got Maya on the line, too.

DV: Hi, Maya.

MAYA RUDOLPH: Hi, Donatella. How are you?

DV: I'm good. But forgive me if I immediately start to bitch a little bit. [laughs] Maya, the diamonds you wear when you imitate me on Saturday Night Live are nothing compared to mine. I can tell from a mile away that your jewelry is fake. You can't do that to me, darling. You can't wear fake jewelry. I'm allergic to it. I get a rash all over my body. [all laugh]

MR: I'm going to start saying that on the set. "I can't wear these fake jewels--I'm allergic."

DV: I think I should teach you a few things about being a diva.

MR: OK.

DV: A real diva would never scream at her guests to get out--she would ask her assistants to make the guests get out. This is one of the rules of divadom.

MR: Because you want to keep an air of calm and cool.

DV: Yes, you send your assistant. Not to shout, just to take people out of the room. To shout is too much, that's vulgar. A diva doesn't do that. You understand? The second rule is if you can afford jewelry, you buy the real ones; if you cannot afford real ones, don't wear them.

MR: Exactly, go naked.

DV: OK? And third, the hair doesn't move enough. It looks so fake. From Italy to New York you can see it. And I don't wear a dress in the bathtub. [all laugh] The bathtub is full of water, scented oil, and I wear my embroidered-by-hand G-string. A little black one. And petal roses are scattered all over the water.

MR: That sounds nice.

DV: Yeah. And the guy who's playing your assistant looks passe. The guys I like now are taller and slender.

MR: So I need better guys.

DV: Yeah. Your assistant has a very '80s look--out of fashion. I am going to send you some pictures of the models I use now. I'll select the men for you. I have a thousand more things to tell you.

MR: I'm writing it all down as we speak-my notes on being a diva. [all laugh]

DV: It takes a while to make yourself a diva.

IS: How long?

DV: Oh, my God. At least 10 years.

MR: But don't you think you were born with it?

DV: Of course I was born with it. I was a diva the first day I was born. That was in my fingers in the nursery room. [all laugh] Anyway, I speak English very badly, but not as badly as you do when you're being me.

MR: No, no, no. Your accent is so beautiful.

DV: Yours is better than mine, but you make me sound like a Brooklyn girl. I never go to Brooklyn, always Manhattan. But I don't want to offend you. I really like you.

MR: Oh, that's so nice to hear, Donatella. It means so much to me that you like what I do.

DV: I like you very much but I want you to do me for real.

MR: I would love it if you would come in and teach me how to really do you.

DV: Keep doing me please, for the rest of your life. [all laugh]

MR: I want to create a Donatella franchise.

DV: That's a good idea. Let's call it DV Franchising. With the initials. You see, a real diva doesn't need to say her name.

MR: Yeah, I don't call myself Maya anymore, it's just M.R. You can call me M for short.

DV: I call you M, you call me D.

MR: OK. [both laugh]

DV: One thing you do well is the dresses. But I can send you some real Versace gowns--it would be better.

MR: Yeah! We need to have the real thing. For this story I wore Versace, and I look like a fox. The dress made my body look insane, and it was the most exquisite thing. I'm in love with it. It's purple and yellow--Lakers colors. I'm such a Lakers fan; I'm such a California girl.

IS: Donatella, I was thinking we might ask Maya some things about her life before she became obsessed with playing you. First of all, Maya, you grew up in L.A and your mother was singer Minnie Riperton and your dad is Richard Rudolph, the songwriter and producer. I know your mother died when you were very young, but what an amazing thing it must have been to have parents who were such incredible musicians.