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Variety
  • 2/17/2025
Famous hosts, musical guests and “Saturday Night Live” alumni turned out in full force for Sunday’s “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” tribute.

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People
Transcript
00:00What is it like to be back, and do you experience the sort of stress pangs that other cast members get when they return to 8-H?
00:13How did you know about that stress?
00:15A lot of people talk about it.
00:17Because...
00:21Saturday Night Live was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.
00:24Including divorce.
00:27Uh...
00:29That stress pang would just come right up.
00:33But as soon as the theme...
00:35They're live in New York Saturday night, and the horns started blowing...
00:41Just putting you in your body, that theme was so beautiful.
00:44So beautiful to be part of that show.
00:47Who have you run into tonight or over the past weekend?
00:50I've run into everybody.
00:52I've seen everybody.
00:53Marty Short.
00:55There's Marty right there!
00:57Crazy.
00:58I mean, everybody.
01:00Will Ferrell's right there.
01:02Robert De Niro.
01:04Come on, this is the ball.
01:06What about any of the young guys who are currently on the cast?
01:08Do you give them any advice?
01:12They don't need my advice.
01:14They're all doing a fine job.
01:17I read recently that you had talked about how the current cast, they break more than you guys did.
01:23We didn't break.
01:25Do you think that Lorne used to run a tighter ship back then?
01:28Or things have just changed?
01:29I think things have just changed.
01:31You know, there's a spirit of...
01:34We're having fun.
01:36That is, you know...
01:38Creates a nice feeling of joy with the audience.
01:41It's just different.
01:42I came from like...
01:44A very tough second city training.
01:47And so did the original cast.
01:49Where it was just...
01:51Not done.
01:53Is there a sketch from your time on the show that didn't make it to air that you're still mad about?
01:58All of them.
02:00One in particular?
02:03Nah, you forget those.
02:06Was there like a...
02:08A note?
02:09Or any sort of advice that you learned while on the show that you've taken throughout the rest of your career?
02:13Yes, Bob Tischler.
02:16You know, when I was there, it was...
02:19There was pressure to come up with catchphrases.
02:21Because catchphrases would make you famous overnight.
02:26And Bob Tischler said,
02:28You're so concerned and putting all your attention on coming up with a catchphrase and being famous.
02:35He goes, just stop it.
02:37Concentrate on the work.
02:40And everything will fall.
02:43And he was right.
02:44And that was a big change.
02:46What did you think of the SNL movie? Did you see it?
02:48I haven't seen it.
02:50Is that on purpose? Or you just haven't gotten around to it?
02:53I haven't watched a lot of movies.
02:54And I'm a member of the Academy.
02:56And I should be watching some movies.
02:58What do you like this year?
03:00Movie-wise?
03:02I like this movie Jude Law did.
03:06The Operator?
03:08The Order.
03:10I like the movie that Jude Law did, The Order.
03:12That was good.
03:14He was fantastic in it.
03:16Well, my last question is just what are you looking forward to tonight?
03:19And can we expect you to pop up in anything?
03:24Let me leave you with this.
03:26There's an old saying that goes like this.
03:29When you drink the water, remember the men and women who dug the well.
03:37I drink a lot of water since I've been on Saturday Night Live.
03:40And the men and women who dug the well,
03:42Lorne Michaels, Dick Ebersole, John Belushi, Danny Ackroyd, Gilda Radner,
03:48Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Lorraine Newman, Garrett Morris,
03:53they dug the well for the rest of us.
03:56And tonight is really about honoring those well diggers.