[Only IN Hollywood] How Jason Reitman cast American TV’s iconic comedians in ‘SNL’ film
LOS ANGELES – How do you cast actors to play John Belushi, Billy Crystal, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Jim Henson, Janis Ian, and many more?
That was the tough challenge of filmmaker Jason Reitman in making Saturday Night, a fictionalized account of the chaotic 90 minutes before the groundbreaking debut of the popular American live sketch comedy variety show on October 11, 1975.
Saturday Night, which was renamed Saturday Night Live in the 1977-1978 season, went on to become a pop culture landmark that is now celebrating its 50th season.
But as the film’s poster, seen below, says, Jason had a bigger hurdle — he had to recreate the frenzy that October night when all these things were happening less than two hours before showtime at NBC’s New York studios at the Rockefeller Center:
“The writers are inebriated. The set is on fire. The sound system is wrecked. The actors are physically assaulting each other. The crew is in open revolt. They have 90 minutes to figure it all out or the network is pulling the plug.”
But first, Jason, noted for such films as Juno and Up in the Air, had to find the actors who will play the icons preparing to appear in the show that will help launch their careers, some of them becoming household names.
These young actors — and writers — in the mid-1970s changed television forever as they mirrored American society, and occasionally, world events, through satirical skits, often defying NBC’s house censors.
“Whenever I would tell people that I was making a movie about the opening of Saturday Night Live, all people would ask is, how the hell are you ever going to cast this film?” Jason said in our recent video interview (see clip).
The comedy-drama, cowritten by Jason and Gil Keenan, has a big cast — all turning in memorable performances amid the pre-show frenzy. Being a fan of SNL helps but one does not need to know the show or its stars to enjoy the excitement and tension as Jason and the cast depict, in real-time, the drama and pressure before show time. A ticking clock helps build suspense.
Due to our limited chat time, I asked Jason only about casting the following: Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Matt Wood (John Belushi), Dylan O’Brien (Dan Aykroyd), Nicholas Braun (in dual roles as Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman), and Gabriel LaBelle, a standout (Lorne Michaels).
“It was genuinely challenging and surprising at every turn,” began Jason, a multiple Oscar and Golden Globe nominee. “Cory Michael Smith, who is known more as a dramatic actor, came in and brought authenticity to the ego that required humbling.”
“And while a lot of other comedians came in and tried to do Chevy Chase impersonations, Cory was able to identify this idea of a comedian who was touched by God, who needed to be humbled. And that fragility is what makes Cory so good at playing Chevy.”
“Matt Wood is probably an actor that, ever since he was a little kid, every person has wondered, hey, are you going to play John Belushi one day? He looks just like him.”
“He came in and he understood the physicality and also understood the vulnerability of John Belushi on October 11, 1975, wondering, how is this going to change my life? What happens when I become a television star?”
“John was reluctant to sign his contract and went into hiding that day. And so, we needed someone who understood the comedic side but also the vulnerability.”
“Dylan O’Brien is someone we know from Teen Wolf and Maze Runner but none of us were aware that he had this gear, this ability to do the kind of rhythmic timing of Dan Aykroyd. It’s a very hard role to play.”
“It’s the hardest role we had to cast. And it’s the one that went all the way to the last second. Then Dylan came in and we started talking about Dan and who he was.”
“And Dan, of course, I know well because I directed him in Ghostbusters (Afterlife). And Dylan, suddenly it clicked and he just started rattling off dialogue like Dan.”
“The other thing about Dan that I don’t think people realize is that he was a heartthrob and that every woman at SNL wanted him and he wanted all of them. And Dylan, of course, had no problem filling those shoes.”
“Then for Andy Kaufman, we wrote the role of Jim Henson for Nicholas Braun. Gil and I thought this is too perfect. He’ll be hilarious.” (In an interview with Den of Geek, Jason said, “It’s funny because Jim Henson is brilliant and has touched all of our lives, but he was not a good fit at Saturday Night Live. They just didn’t get along.”)
“Benny Safdie was originally going to play Andy Kaufman but Benny’s movie got greenlit and he had to go direct a film. All of a sudden, we’re trying to figure out who we have as Andy Kaufman?”
“And we kept on thinking, well, Nicholas Braun would be really good. Furthermore, if actors can play multiple roles on Saturday Night Live, why can’t they play multiple roles in this film?”
“I met Gabriel LaBelle at a screening of The Fabelmans in London. He was standing next to Steven Spielberg and somehow, this 21-year-old man was holding his own next to the greatest director on earth.”
“And there was a confidence in him that was necessary for the Lorne that I wanted to portray on screen. Lorne is like a dad for every wayward comedian.”
“We needed to portray a young man who had so much dad energy that you could believe he built the orphanage for every wayward musician and comedian. And Gabe was able to fill those shoes immediately.”
J.K. Simmons plays Milton Berle, who was not only known as Mr. Television but also for his penchant to show off his huge penis. In one scene, “Uncle Miltie” whips out his large genitals to impress Chevy Chase’s fiancée, Jacquelin Carlin (played by Kaia Gerber).
“I sadly know multiple people that Milton Berle exposed himself to,” said Jason, who interviewed living cast, writers, and crew about that first telecast. “This is something that was just something he used to do. It really is a sign of another time.”
“And one of the reasons I wanted to make Saturday Night Live is about a generational shift. It’s about one group of young people ripping television out of the hands of another.”
“And we needed to portray what television was like at the time. So, Milton is a representation of everything that was going out the window and everything that needed to be pushed aside so that these young comedians could create something new.”
The rest of the ensemble was well-picked. Jason shows Lorne Michaels asking a young Billy Crystal (Nicholas Podany) to trim his sketch to two minutes but when the rising comedian begged for at least four minutes, the SNL creator decided, “You are cut.” Billy went back as a regular cast member in the mid-1980s.
Naomi McPherson, who uses they/them pronouns, of the LA band Muna which fronted Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, plays Janis Ian. They sing “At Seventeen,” which Grammy winner Janis did perform as one of the two musical guests (the other singer was Billy Preston, portrayed by Jon Batiste) on the historic first telecast.
Part of the fun in watching Saturday Night is identifying who plays who: Ella Hunt (Gilda Radner, much-missed to this day), Rachel Sennott (Rosie Shuster), Emily Fairn (Laraine Newman), Lamorne Morris (Garrett Morris), Kim Matula (Jane Curtin), Matthew Rhys (George Carlin), Willem Dafoe (David Tebet), Paul Rust (Paul Shaffer), and Cooper Hoffman (Dick Ebersol).
Jason got the ultimate compliment on Saturday Night when Dan Aykroyd himself praised the film on X (formerly Twitter):
“Cracking a Head to applaud Jason Reitman’s triumphant SNL film. Wow! What a propulsive, engaging, funny, beautifully cast and acted, suspenseful, adventurous, music-filled ride.”
“A perfect window into the creative process at its highest level. Pretty accurate, too. I was there that night and got to relive it wonderfully again. Congratulations Gil, Jason, and Blumie (Jason Blumenfeld, producer). Don’t miss it whether you know the show or not.” – Rappler.com