‘I Turned To My Left And It’s Lindsey Buckingham.’ Glee’s Chris Colfer Recalls Crazy Experience Cameoing On SNL And Why He Kept Telling Himself Not To Bring Up Carrie Fisher

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As a fan of Chris Colfer’s captivating performances on “Glee” and his undeniable charm off-screen, I can only imagine the surreal moment when he found himself sitting between music legends Paul Simon and Lindsey Buckingham during an episode of Saturday Night Live back in 2011. The young actor, who was a household name for more than half a decade thanks to his role as Kurt Hummel on Fox’s “Glee,” must have felt like he had won the lottery, especially since he didn’t even have lines in the sketch.

Looking back on that experience, Colfer shared with Vulture how he had to keep reminding himself what not to bring up to either of the industry legends as they sat there, probably thinking he was a seat filler. It must have been quite the challenge for him to contain his excitement and curiosity about their lives, especially given his knowledge of Simon’s marriage to Carrie Fisher and Buckingham’s tumultuous relationship with Stevie Nicks.

It’s a testament to Colfer’s professionalism that he managed to keep his cool in the presence of such musical giants, even though I can only imagine how badly he wanted to ask them about their lives and careers. Alas, just like Bill Hader’s version of Lindsey Buckingham, Chris Colfer didn’t get a chance to speak on Diondre Cole’s (Kenan Thompson) show. Still, it was quite the experience for him to be part of such an iconic sketch alongside legends like Paul Simon and Lindsey Buckingham, even if he didn’t get to say a word.

Hopefully, Chris Colfer will have another opportunity to shine on Saturday Night Live in the future. After more than 100 episodes of “Glee” from 2009-2015 and a few guest roles here and there, it’s time for him to take center stage once again. In the meantime, we can all revisit his memorable performances as Kurt Hummel on Hulu and marvel at how far he’s come in such a short amount of time. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll see Colfer sitting next to another music icon, this time with the chance to actually speak!

Oh, and I can’t help but chuckle at the thought of Paul Simon thinking Chris Colfer was just a seat filler – if only he knew the impact Kurt Hummel had on a generation of viewers!

For over half a decade, Chris Colfer was almost universally recognized due to his portrayal of Kurt Hummel in Fox’s popular series, Glee. Although the musical television program may have reached its pinnacle some years prior to its 2015 conclusion, the golden era of its initial seasons (now available on Hulu with a subscription) led to Colfer’s appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2011. Now, over a decade later, the singer-actor looked back on his episode of NBC’s longstanding comedy staple alongside musical greats Paul Simon and Lindsey Buckingham… and the thoughts he had to repeatedly remind himself.

The 36th season’s SNL episode that starred Colfer aired in 2011, with Ed Helms hosting and Paul Simon as the musical guest. This episode can now be streamed with a Peacock subscription. During this show, despite Colfer not having any spoken lines, some memorable moments included Kenan Thompson singing, Bill Hader portraying Lindsey Buckingham, and the actual Lindsey Buckingham appearing on stage as Lindsey Buckingham himself. When reminiscing about the event in an interview with Vulture, Colfer stated:

I was sworn to secrecy about who occupied those seats until I walked into that rehearsal. They held back all the details until I physically stepped foot in the studio; they even escorted me directly onto the stage to my designated seat without providing a script. To my surprise, when I turned to my left, there sat Paul Simon, and on turning to my right, I found Lindsey Buckingham waiting in the wings of the set. Without a script, it was an extraordinary moment of silent revelation for me.

scarcely did Glee enjoy greater popularity than in the year 2011, as Chris Colfer clinched a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Yet, being part of one of TV’s most buzzworthy series filled with iconic musical renditions didn’t guarantee that Colfer was completely ready to collaborate with legends such as Simon and Buckingham.

A potential challenge arose due to Paul Simon and Lindsey Buckingham being such music titans that Chris Colfer was already well-versed in certain aspects of their personal lives, like Simon’s marriage to the late Carrie Fisher and Buckingham’s rocky history with Stevie Nicks. As he interacted with these industry veterans, Colfer had to be mindful about what topics to steer clear of, as he admitted.

In simpler terms, how on earth did I end up here? I found myself at a loss for words. I froze up. In that instant, I kept reminding myself, Chris, don’t bring up Stevie Nicks or Carrie Fisher. I had to repeat this to myself repeatedly in my mind. I suspect Paul Simon may have thought I was just a replacement seat-filler.

In the sketch, Chris Colfer didn’t say a single line, which might have led Paul Simon to mistakenly believe that he was just filling an empty seat if he wasn’t familiar with “Glee”. However, it turned out that Colfer not speaking was intentionally part of the joke in the entire sketch.

Sadly, similar to Chris Colfer’s portrayal of Lindsey Buckingham, he didn’t get a chance to appear on Diondre Cole’s (Kenan Thompson) show. I must commend Thompson for his performance in the sketch given the amount of singing he did alongside Paul Simon, Lindsey Buckingham, and a former ‘Glee’ cast member! Kenan Thompson, a veteran of SNL, is renowned for numerous talents, but a music career isn’t one of them.

It remains unclear whether Chris Colfer will return as a regular on Saturday Night Live in the future. Following over 100 episodes of Glee from 2009 to 2015, he hasn’t taken on another series regular role. However, he has made appearances in Hot in Cleveland and Absolutely Famous: The Movie, and voiced a character for four episodes of Ridley Jones on Netflix. If you’d like to re-experience his time on Glee, particularly the ups and downs of Kurt Hummel’s storyline, all six seasons are currently streaming on Hulu.

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2024-12-31 18:37