In this captivating account of the making of “Saturday Night,” I find myself particularly drawn to the story of Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris. The parallels between their careers and experiences are striking, and it’s fascinating to see how these connections have shaped the film.
To produce “Saturday Night” (releasing Sept 27 through Sony), a real-time account of the chaotic 90 minutes prior to SNL’s debut on Oct. 11, 1975, Reitman needed actors capable of portraying some of television’s most renowned performers. To find these talents, he approached his longstanding casting director John Papsidera, who is known for discovering future Hollywood heavyweights. As the Oscar nominee explains, “He would say things like, ‘Hey, there’s this young actor named Timothee Chalamet I think you should meet.'” Remarkably, Reitman later directed Chalamet in his first film, the 2014 drama titled “Men, Women and Children.
According to Reitman, the plan was to discover actors similar to John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Chevy Chase. If they couldn’t find such talent, it seemed they wouldn’t be able to make the movie. However, they did manage to produce the film, with a limited release through Sony on September 27, followed by a wider release on October 11. Now, Reitman and Papsidera share their process for casting Saturday Night Live for the movie titled Saturday Night.
Matt Wood as John Belushi
Matt Wood, who’s been expressing his dream since his teenage years about playing John Belushi in a movie, is described by Reitman as having an extraordinary resemblance to the ‘Blues Brothers’ star. Remarkably, the decision to cast him was made from the world of theater – specifically, the original cast of the Broadway musical adaptation of ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’. According to Reitman, John Belushi was robust yet athletic and surprisingly agile, and capturing those quick, jerky movements was crucial. Matt Wood demonstrated this ability from the very beginning, which gave us a significant boost in confidence.
Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner
According to Reitman, the actress playing Roseanne Roseannadanna, Ella Hunt, is a selfless woman who goes out of her way to make those around her feel comfortable. Papsidera questions how a British actress like Hunt ended up starring in Dickinson, but Reitman praises Hunt for her ability to empathize and perfectly capture Radner’s distinctive voice. Moreover, Reitman admires Hunt’s improvisational skills within the character’s voice, finding it particularly impressive. Interestingly, Hunt herself was surprised to even be considered for the role, as she and her co-star thought their more comedic friends would land the part instead.
Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman
While filming the final Ghostbusters movie in London’s SoHo district, Reitman encountered actor Lucas Hedges, whom he had previously directed in Labor Day (2013). Hedges invited him to watch his West End play Brokeback Mountain. In the performance, Reitman met Emily Fairn, an actress who shared the stage with Hedges. As she performed, Reitman thought she possessed a captivating Lorraine-like aura. Newman, who is from Liverpool, began improvising during her teenage years and was one of the youngest cast members on Saturday Night Live as well as a founding member of The Groundlings improv troupe. After the play, Reitman visited backstage and was taken aback by Fairn’s true Liverpudlian accent. “She had been portraying an Oklahoma accent on stage for the past two hours,” said Reitman. “I asked Lucas if she could do other roles, and he responded, ‘She can do anything.’
Gabriel Labelle as Lorne Michaels
Papsidera comments, “We barely scratched the surface, perhaps discussing only ten or twelve people, Lornes,” to which Reitman agrees, “After eliminating those who aren’t Jewish and Canadian, we’re left with just one potential candidate.” This individual turned out to be Gabriel Labelle, who made his debut portraying another prominent figure in the entertainment industry, Steven Spielberg, in the movie The Fabelmans. Interestingly, Michael’s age was 30 when SNL first aired, while LaBelle is currently 21. This raised some concerns among filmmakers initially, but not for long. Reitman shares, “I first encountered Gabe standing next to Steven Spielberg, and Gabe held his own in the presence of the greatest living director. That was one of the first instances where I thought, ‘Wow, this kid has an aura.’
Corey Michael Smith as Chevy Chase
According to Papsidera, they examined approximately two hundred Chevys. He and his team then began trying out actors using skits from the initial broadcast of SNL. However, he explained, “In a short amount of time, we realized we weren’t focusing on the final product. Instead, we wanted to capture the essence of the start, so we changed our approach.” As Reitman put it, “Chase’s essence is about humbling one’s ego.” Corey Michael Smith, whose acting credits range from Todd Haynes’ ‘May December’ to the DC TV series ‘Gotham’, delivered more than a convincing imitation. Reitman added, “Corey excelled in the scene and had Chase’s voice spot on. But he also did an impressive stumble at the beginning of his audition, tripping into a trash can. This same stumble is replicated at the end of the film’s popular trailer, with Smith’s portrayal of Chase saying, ‘Sorry, I tripped over my own feet.’
Kim Matula as Jane Curtin
In Kim Matula, Reitman observes a quality reminiscent of Jane’s – humor is often overlooked or considered less important in beautiful women, as if it were an unnecessary trait. What made Jane exceptional on Saturday Night Live was her ability to perfectly embody the role of a commercial model, but with a subtle twist that made it hilarious. Kim shared this same talent; she embodied the roles she had been cast for over the past 15 years, yet now she could have fun with them. One of Reitman’s biggest regrets on Saturday Night Live was not finding an opportunity to use a line that Michael would say in response to Curtin asking why she was cast: “Lorne was going to say, ‘Jane, you’re the only one who can be funny without telling jokes.’
Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd
According to Reitman, finding the right actor for Aykroyd’s role in the movie was quite challenging. Part of this difficulty arose because Reitman had known Aykroyd since childhood, having worked with him on various films following their first collaboration in the original Ghostbusters. As Papsidera explained, “Jason knew all sorts of small details about Dan due to spending so much time with him.” The task was to capture the personal side of Aykroyd that Reitman was familiar with as a person. For Reitman, the actor had to perfectly mimic Aykroyd’s distinctive voice, humor, eloquence, and unique charm. He joked with Aykroyd’s daughters about how many women Aykroyd dated during his time at SNL. When O’Brien came in for an audition, Reitman wasn’t familiar with him from his work on Teen Wolf or the Maze Runner films, but he noticed the female presence in O’Brien’s office suggested a fondness for Dylan O’Brien.
Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris
In the early days of Saturday Night Live (SNL), the sole Black member of the original cast, Garrett Morris, was often grappling with finding his place in the show. Conversely, Lamorne Morris (unrelated) was the first actor cast for the movie and Reitman mentioned that their discussions about his time on the long-running TV series New Girl were enlightening. Particularly, they would discuss Lamorne’s experience as the only Black actor in the New Girl cast, along with Garrett Morris’s experience when he joined SNL. For his audition, Lamorne performed a song that Garrett, a trained actor from Juilliard, sang during SNL’s first season in a sketch called “Death Row Follies.” In this sketch, as an incarcerated character, Garrett sang about acquiring a shotgun and targeting white people.
Nicholas Braun as Jim Henson/ Andy Kauffman
Jim Henson, who portrayed Muppets in the recurring adult puppetry skit on SNL called “The Land of Gorch“, was originally intended for Braun. On the other hand, Benny Safdie, recently cast by Papsidera in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film “Oppenheimer“, was initially slated to play Andy Kaufman, a beloved experimental comedian. As Reitman notes, Safdie, who is also producing a documentary about Kaufman, had to withdraw from the production when his wrestling movie with Dwayne Johnson titled “The Smashing Machine” was greenlit by A24. Braun was then asked if he would be open to taking on both roles, and Reitman recalls that “Nick has a way of processing information in real-time, you could see his eyes always thinking it over. He responded, [Reitman does an impressive impression of Braun] ‘Oh! Oh… oh.'” The actor from Succession agreed but later admitted to Reitman that playing both roles was terrifying for him.
This story appeared in the Sept. 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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2024-09-19 21:25