“Saturday Night Live” Season 47 is back following a brief hiatus for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The NBC comedy sketch will return on Jan. 15 with an award-winning actress taking on the hosting duties.

Ariana DeBose will host “SNL” this week after appearing in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “West Side Story” and snagging a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of Anita.

DeBose played a Puerto Rican immigrant, who was the girlfriend of a gang member and the best friend of the female lead.

While Ariana will be hosting a night of comedic fun on the upcoming episode of “SNL,” her road to landing the role as Anita was not full of laughs.

During a Thursday appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” DeBose reflected on her audition process for the “West Side Story” remake.

“I was really tired one evening after the show, and Cindy Tolan, the casting director, called and goes, ‘Hey, can you come to Brooklyn tomorrow at 10 a.m.?’ I was like, ‘But it’s 11:30 p.m. right now. Can I just dance and sing?’ She said, ‘Sure, sure, sure. I got you,’” the actress explained.

“So I get there the next day, and there’s Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner,” DeBose added.

The actress revealed she did well with the dancing and singing portion of the audition but was not thrilled when Spielberg asked her to read the script.

“I said, ‘No,’” DeBose revealed. “I said to myself the night before, ‘These scenes—these are Tony Kushner-expanded scenes. They can be wordy. They’re important. You gotta nail it,’” she said.

DeBose continued, “Quite frankly, I’m not in the business of going in a room as a Black woman and not getting it right. You’ve got to come in prepared.”

“A few weeks later, [Spielberg] called me in a nail salon. I had foils on my nails. He asked me if I would be his Anita. Crazy!”

When DeBose takes the “SNL” stage she will be more than prepared to take on any surprises. The actress was initially tapped to host the show with musical guest Roddy Ricch.

However, the rapper was replaced with the Bleachers after he was forced to pull out his performance following a COVID-19 exposure. Rich told his social media followers that he was working with the show to lock down a new performance date.

“Saturday Night Live” airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. EST on NBC.

Ariana DeBose, who won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a film for "West Side Story," acknowledged that more reforms were needed, but said she was grateful for the recognition
Ariana DeBose, who won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a film for "West Side Story," acknowledged that more reforms were needed, but said she was grateful for the recognition AFP / VALERIE MACON
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