‘SNL’s’ Kate McKinnon on Hillary Clinton: ‘I just love her so dearly’

Kate McKinnon’s “Saturday Night Live� portrayal of Hillary Rodham Clinton, which she reprised this weekend ahead of Clinton’s presidential bid announcement on Sunday, has been winning universal raves -- not that the 31-year-old actress would know.

“I try not to read stuff,� the private McKinnon says by phone, while walking through Central Park. “I hope it’s OK.�

OK? McKinnon’s Clinton -- intense, power-hungry and a bit awkward when it comes to displaying normal, human emotion -- has popped on a level not seen on “Saturday Night Live� since Tina Fey’s 2008 turn as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

“Citizens, you will elect me! I will be your leader,� McKinnon’s Clinton announced Saturday in a frenzied, feral fashion that made you think she had spent a fair amount of time watching these guys while rehearsing her speech.

“The level of intensity is certainly fabricated for comedy’s sake,� McKinnon says. “I find her very wonderful and I’m a huge, huge fan. The impersonations always come from a place of love. I refuse to do it otherwise.�

McKinnon first portrayed Clinton in March in a sketch sending up the former secretary of State’s recent email controversy. (“I wasn’t born yesterday,� she said, directly addressing the camera. “I was born 67 years ago and I have been planning on being president ever since. There will be no mistakes in my rise to the top!�) Producers approached her the day before the show with the idea, not leaving McKinnon much time to fine-tune her mannerisms (our favorite: the clawing-at-the-air hand gestures).

“That wasn’t a problem,� McKinnon says. “I’ve been studying her for years. So there was that preparation because I just love her so dearly. A lot of the research you end up doing is by accident, just following your own fascinations.�

For McKinnon, who received two Emmy nominations last year for her work on “Saturday Night Live,� those “fascinations� have included talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres (“I watched her stand-up special 75 times in high school ... she was my favorite�) and pop singer Justin Bieber. (“I love my Bieber,� she says. “I really do. I love the music and I love how he moves. It’s truly from a place of love and admiration.�)

For her portrayal of Clinton, McKinnon points to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character work on “Veep� as an inspiration, though Clinton in reality is far-removed from Louis-Dreyfus’ sometimes bumbling Selina Meyer.

“She’s just the smartest woman in the room and that’s sometimes a frustrating thing,� McKinnon says.

Twitter: @glennwhipp