With the announcement that Melissa Villasenor is one of three newbies being added to “Saturday Night Live,” (along with Mikey Day and Alex Moffat) she became the show’s first Latina cast member.
Here are five things to know about the California based comic:
She’s got talent
If Villasenor looks familiar, it’s because she was a finalist on Season 6 of “America’s Got Talent.”
She impressed the judges with her impressions of celebrities like Miley Cyrus and fellow comedian Kathy Griffin.
She started young
The actress told the Daily Dot that she was young when she realized she had the gift of mimicry.
“I did my high school talent show with a few impressions, and that was when I felt it,” she said. “It went so great that I realized, this is what I am supposed to be doing, at 15 years old. It was a powerful feeling — I felt like there were flames in my chest.”
Already a You Tube star
Those who subscribe to her You Tube channel have long been enjoying her skits — including “The Owen Wilson Show” where she impersonates the actor.
She’s also featured on the Mas Mejor You Tube channel where she pretends to be various celebs as they plan out their day.
If she’s not working
According to her site, Villasenor is originally from Whittier, California and “hangs out with her family every week.” That’s going to be difficult to do now with “SNL” filming in New York City. We figure Villasenor will take along her cat, which she also mentions on her site.
“SNL” has long been a dream
Villasenor has been aiming for “SNL” for quite some time.
“I actually did audition when I was 21 and I always send them a tape every summer,” she told Bird in an interview. “I still see that in my heart.”
So apparently, Villasenor has manifestation skills too.
