When Kate McKinnon plays Justin Bieber on Saturday Night Live, she somehow manages to simultaneously nail it while also completely overdoing it. The result is always delightful and ridiculous. When she appeared on Conan last night, he decided to ask just how she manages to pull it off.
“What’s the key to inhabiting Justin Bieber?” Conan asks. “How do you become Justin Bieber?”
She ponders this question for a moment, then thoughtfully replies, “It’s looking like a puppy who just piddled and is sort of sorry about it.”
McKinnon has also had the privilege of meeting him in real life, so she’s gotten a chance to absorb his essence. “He’s very beautiful to look at,” the SNL performer says. “He has the swagger of a gang leader with the face of a member of the Sistine Chapel.”
In case you’ve yet to see her Bieber impression, check out this clip about four minutes in:
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com