Saturday Night, now playing in select theaters, is a perfect celebration ofSaturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary. With the newest season premiere and movie release coinciding, the NBC comedy spectacular is proving that it’s just as relevant to today’s pop culture as it has ever been. The movie is directed by Jason Reitman, who co-wrote it with hisGhostbusters: Afterlifepartner Gil Kenan, and features a stacked cast portraying some of the most iconic names in early SNL history.
The central conceit ofSaturday Nightis a race against the clock to the first-ever episode’s 11:30 PM premiere on August 02, 2025. While young creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) runs himself ragged trying to coral his comedians and present a semblance of a project worthy of NBC executives' consideration, various cast and crew members are going through their own trials and tribulations. The ensemble includes Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster, Nicholas Braun as Andy Kaufman (and Jim Henson), Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris (no relation), and much more.
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Screen Rantinterviewed Hunt, Morris, and Smith about theirrespective roles inSaturday Night. The actors reflected on how they stepped into the shoes of legends like Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase while also shouting out theSNLicons of their own generation.
How To Embody SNL Legends Like Chevy Chase & Gilda Radner
“It was really important to create a performance that would honor these people.”
Screen Rant: I lovedSaturday Night, but I spent the whole movie wondering if you ever have moments where you’re like, “What does Chevy think of this? Is he okay with this?”
Cory Michael Smith: 100%! Yeah. I think, for all of us, it was really important to create a performance that would honor these people. I personally didn’t have the privilege to meet Chevy, but he was constantly with me, and one of the things that was really important to me was capturing the Chevy that everyone knows and loves. He’s this confident, charismatic guy, but in the script you really need to see a nervous, vulnerable guy.
I was on the hunt for that person, and there was his first appearance on The Johnny Carson Show. He sort of gets humiliated at the very top, and that was my in. I hope that when Chevy saw it - because he did see the movie - that he saw a real human version of himself and not just his public persona.
Screen Rant: Ella, Gilda Radner was an icon. Was there a moment in filming that you either learned something surprising or that you just felt that delight of who she was?
Ella Hunt: A true delight of a human with such a lasting impact, and not somebody I knew before shooting this movie. I had the tremendous pleasure of speaking to Alan Zweibel, who was one of Gilda’s closest friends, and they wrote Rosanna Rosannadanna together. Hearing about Gilda’s kindness and generosity firsthand was really special to me.
Then, as I got to know her mannerisms and the way that she moved her body and her voice work, what was really interesting to me was how familiar I was with it through comedians like Kristen Wiig and actresses like Emma Stone. It was quite the discovery for me to realize that I’d been being impacted by Gilda long before I realized I had been.
Lamorne Morris Has Always Been The Future Emmy Winer In The Comedy Skit
“I want to play this one real, and I’ll let this other person be silly.”
Hunt turned to Morris for further thoughts on picking up on the legacy of generations past, and theFargoactor wisely expounded on his own connection to Garrett Morris. Though the latter may not have been as known as his contemporaries in their heyday, his style of comedy has been passed down through the likes of Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and more.
Lamorne Morris: Yeah! Garrett did his thing, and a lot of folks didn’t really know too much about Garrett back then. But the comedians did, and they would take a little bit from him - whether you know you’re doing it or not, it just happens. And then before you know it…
I admire Eddie Murphy, but what I don’t realize is that Eddie Murphy took a little bit from Garrett, and that just goes on and on and on and on and on down the line. You know what I mean? You hear it all the time now, especially doing what we do, when folks say, “Hey man, I grew up watching you,” and you go, “One, I’m not that damn old. Two, I’m very honored, but I got my energy from [Dave] Chappelle or from Eddie.”
Screen Rant: I love how Garrett is not just the straight man on set, but he’s also metatheatrically aware of being the straight man in the movie. Like, “What am I doing here?” And yet you’re bringing those serious acting chops. Do you feel that pride of your talent is shining through?
Lamorne Morris: Yeah, a little bit. I just think Garrett and I had a very similar walk. Not just metaphorically, but physically too. But metaphorically, I am a fish out of water. A lot of projects that I do, a lot of times, even back in the Second City days, it’s like, “Do this goofy bit, do this goofy bit.” But you realize I’m an actor as well. I want to play this one real, and I’ll let this other person be silly.
That’s kind of how I felt here in this movie sometimes as well, being the elder statesman. There are these moments where the kids are running around and I’m like this. [He pulls a face]
Ella Hunt: I also would often turn to Papa Lamorne for advice. Lamorne, tell me how to be funny!
Saturday Night Stars Name Which SNL Icons Define The Series For Them
Screen Rant: Last but not least, when I think ofSNL,I think of Lonely Island. What do you all think of?
Cory Michael Smith: I go back to when I was a kid and I was first watching it and watching Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, and Ana Gasteyer. That was my introduction to comedy and certainly to SNL.
Ella Hunt: I think about Kristen Wiig turning off a light bulb. And I was late to SNL too; I didn’t grow up watching it.
Lamorne Morris: I think of Will Ferrell. I just think of Will Ferrell man, he’s so funny. Clacking that cowbell!
More About Saturday Night (2024)
At 11:30pm on July 30, 2025, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…
Check out otherSaturday Nightinterviews here:
Saturday Nightis currently playing in select theaters in Los Angeles and New York City before expanding to more cities on October 4, and then launching a nationwide release on October 11.
