Your Italian on the show is pretty good — did you pick it up easily?

I did three weeks of lessons. I realized that I waste so much time on the internet that if I didn’t, I could speak every language fluently.

Was this trip to Italy life-changing?

It was. I always had been scared of the idea of going someplace by myself, and not knowing anyone. I realized, how many more years of my life am I going to have where I don’t have anything that keeps me tied down? I just want to explore living in these places. It really helps me creatively. You always hear that people come up with ideas in the shower — when I live in these places, it’s like living my whole life in the shower.

Did it also help you disengage from social media?

When I’m shooting the show, I give my phone to my assistant. I feel like it’s a life-sucking force. You read about [the director] Christopher Nolan — he doesn’t have a phone, and it seems to work out for him. I saw him once, and I didn’t ask about “Batman.” I asked him, how does this work out for you? His wife was like, he doesn’t have a phone — but I do. So that’s the secret: Fall in love with someone who has a phone.

How did you prepare for the “S.N.L.” monologue?

I didn’t go anywhere for Christmas — I just went to the Comedy Cellar [the New York club] every day. I would do 8, 9 shows a night. The mood [after the election] just kept changing. [The monologue] kept changing, even between rehearsal and the show. It was a lot of pressure to have on set, that’s why I worked so hard on it. I think I pulled it off.

How do you feel now, as an artist in the Trump era?

I have Trump fatigue. It becomes repetitive: He said this crazy thing, and he didn’t apologize! You realize, I don’t know if this is news anymore. It’s more like reading soap opera rumors.