Judd Apatow SNL 50

Variety

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

Transcript

00:00You've obviously been a big figure in the orbit of SNL for a while.

00:03I was wondering if there's anybody... you did the Please Don't Destroy movie.

00:06Is there anyone else in the current cast that you would like to work with on something larger?

00:11I mean, I'm always watching the show trying to figure out who wants to do movies and things like that.

00:17I'm always looking for someone... so yeah, the current cast. I mean, literally all of them.

00:22I'm just like, who has an idea? What do you want to do?

00:25And every once in a while, someone gets very motivated to make something.

00:29I remember when Kristen Wiig and her friend Annie Momolo had the idea for Bridesmaids.

00:33And they would write it in the summers when the show wasn't on.

00:37And it was one of the great experiences of my life.

00:40What do you think, now in its 50th year, is the single biggest legacy that SNL has had on the comedy landscape?

00:46Well, the legacy is the show itself and all the amazing sketches that are just historic that we all remember.

00:52We watch them on Instagram. We can't believe how many magical moments they've had.

00:57And then all the work that everyone from the show did after the show, which is all of our favorite comedy movies and TV shows.

01:04And the writers who went on to create all these shows.

01:07I mean, I don't think people even understand how deep the influence is.

01:11There was a piece recently with a lot of cast members and writers interviewed about who should replace Lauren.

01:17And your name came up by quite a few people.

01:19What is your reaction to that and would you be interested in that?

01:23Well, I don't know. It's the first time I've heard of it.

01:27No one's calling me.

01:30I mean, I think there's much more qualified people who are really in the trenches of how you make this show.

01:35It's a very, very hard show to make.

01:38I mean, they are up all night.

01:41I mean, the exhaustion level to create it is because I've just watched it as a visitor.

01:47So I don't know. As a man of my age, I'm ready.

01:51I think they need a 16-year-old.

01:53They need a child to do it with a lot of energy.

01:56So you haven't gotten the call?

01:57There's no call yet.

01:58But, you know, if it comes in, we'll talk about it.

02:00But it's not coming in. It's not coming in.

02:02Seth Rogen recently made headlines when he said that there's this perception that comedy is harder these days

02:09due to political correctness or whatnot.

02:11But Seth basically said that that's BS.

02:14Do you think that comedy has become harder over time?

02:17Or what obstacles are there, whether they're perceived or not real?

02:21I don't think there's a content obstacle to it.

02:24I think it's just an interest in the people who pay for it if they want it.

02:28They like things that are very visual or have action.

02:33So they tend to want to make things that will play well in Asia.

02:37Will people also like this in Bulgaria?

02:40Comedy is very local to America.

02:43So I think the obstacles to getting things done is really more about how everyone seems to want everything

02:48that gets made to be the largest thing in the world.

02:51Comedy isn't always meant to be like that.

02:55Comedy isn't like an action movie.

02:57What happened to R-rated comedies in theaters?

02:59You're still doing them.

03:00But as a business, it seems to have sort of diminished quite a bit.

03:05How can we get them back?

03:07Or are they not going to come back because of the current Hollywood landscape?

03:11I think it's just one person with a great idea, and it makes a hit,

03:16and then suddenly everyone wants to do it again.

03:18These things kind of swing back and forth.

03:20If someone made something as funny as The Hangover right now, it would make a billion dollars,

03:24and then everyone would be trying to do that.

03:26So I think it ebbs and it flows, and hopefully it will flow soon.

03:31It's funny how things come back, too.

03:33For example, Girls had a massive renaissance.

03:35Is there anything else that you've been a part of that you have seen come back in certain ways

03:40that you think will reenter the zeitgeist?

03:42Well, it was fun at the Please Don't Destroy movie.

03:44It left Peacock and went to Amazon, then went back to Peacock,

03:47and suddenly it was on the top of the chart.

03:49So I feel like everything just kind of bubbles up on all these different streamers and networks.

03:53And so things that you thought disappeared, like Walk Hard, suddenly is insanely popular.

03:59Freaks and Geeks seems to be kind of perennially very popular.

04:03Cable Guy.

04:04So that's the fun part of making these things is they never really disappear.

04:08What makes Judd Apatow laugh?

04:09What are you watching these days?

04:11What am I watching to laugh these days?

04:13I don't know if it's a comedy, but I'm very excited about Severance.

04:16That's one of my favorite shows.

04:18I'm glad that's back.

04:19It's a comedy to me.

04:21It seems like dark satire.

04:23So that's one that I really like.

04:26What is the show I've been watching?

04:28A European show called Such Brave Girls.

04:31That's a funny show.

04:32That's worth hunting down.

04:33I think it's on Hulu.

04:34It's on Hulu.

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