Dana Carvey says it’s “too early” for him to start perfecting his Ron DeSantis impersonation.
“You never want to spend a lot of time working on an impression and then they don’t run,” Carvey told ITK when asked this week whether he’d started trying to mimic the mannerisms of the Florida governor and expected 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
“You keep your powder dry,” said the “Wayne’s World” star, who’s famed for his political impressions, including of President Biden and former Presidents Trump and George H.W. Bush.
“But he has a little bit of a different kind of voice,” Carvey said of DeSantis. “A little squeaky.”
Carvey then briefly transformed into Biden and Trump, saying the 46th president has “sort of a whispery” way of speaking, while his Oval Office predecessor speaks in a much lower register.
“But DeSantis, no, I haven’t studied it yet,” Carvey, 67, said.
So who’s funnier: Democrats or Republicans?
“Whoever’s in power is hilarious,” Carvey replied when ITK caught up with him in Washington at the Kennedy Center’s presentation of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Adam Sandler. “Anyone who’s pulling the strings, then it’s our job to kind of throw rocks at the king,” Carvey said.
Asked if there’s a pressure for comedians to go political with their humor, he said the opposite is often true.
“There’s a pressure to not go political. Everyone’s waiting to see what team you’re on,” the “Saturday Night Live” alum said.
“I just try to abstract it, and make sure that everyone understands that everybody’s funny on some level, with enormous power.”
While Carvey hasn’t started trying to pull off a DeSantis impression, he’s still standing by for any reaction from Biden on his imitation of the commander in chief.
“Joe, I’m waiting,” Carvey cracked.
“I try to abstract to the point that it’s apolitical,” Carvey said of his work. “I don’t like to be taught when I’m watching comedy, and I don’t like to teach.”