This news is so big that, dare we say... it’s bigly.
Alec Baldwin’s outlandish impersonation of President Donald Trump has been pretty much universally praised even to the point where he says he’s being treated like he “cured polio.”
“I want to be very clear. I don’t feel that way,” the actor told HuffPost at the “Stand For Rights” event to raise awareness for the American Civil Liberties Union earlier this year. “But people will walk up to me — I can’t get over how effusive they are. ‘Thank you!’ Every age, every shape, size.”
In a Wired video posted this week, dialect coach Erik Singer, who’s analyzed actors’ accents for the news outlet in viral videos before, took a look at Baldwin’s Trump portrayal. Apparently, Baldwin gets a lot of intricate things right.
Though it’s a satirical impression, Singer compliments Baldwin for his sharp observations and exaggerations of Trump. He also reveals that the actor actually nails subtle things such as Trump’s vocal quality and rhythm.
“Trump has a habit of lengthening out some sounds and really shortening up some others, so there’s a lot of contrast,” Singer said. “Baldwin does it really well.”
So your enthusiasm for Baldwin’s Trump impersonation is well-deserved. Maybe it’s not up there with curing polio, but it’s pretty yuge.
Check out Wired’s full video above to see Singer breaking down a variety of other actors who played real people, and you can see more of Baldwin’s impressive Trump mimicry in his recent appearance on “Weekend Update: Summer Edition” and possibly when “SNL” returns on September 30.
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