As a long-time fan of Lamorne Morris‘ work, I eagerly anticipate his upcoming stint as a guest host on SNL. However, it’s his portrayal of Garrett Morris in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night that truly captivated me. The parallels between their careers are striking, and Morris’ ability to relate to the experiences of being the “Black dude from that show” resonates deeply.
It’s possible that viewers of New Girl will or won’t get to see Lamorne Morris appearing as a guest host (or musical guest) on SNL during the Autumn television season, but theater audiences can definitely look forward to seeing his acting skills in action in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night. In this film that isn’t exactly a biography, Morris plays comedian Garrett Morris, who was the first Black member of the sketch comedy troupe, and he finds this role particularly meaningful as he can identify with it.
In a new turn of events, Morris assumes a compelling part following his focus on racial matters and stereotypes in the Hulu comedy series “Woke”. Although the rapid-fire structure of Saturday Night doesn’t delve deeply into the broader context of Garrett Morris’ career during that time, it does spark questions about his unique position as the sole Black co-star amid a predominantly white ensemble. When asked if he could empathize with this imbalance, the young actor expressed:
As a fellow enthusiast, I can relate to your journey in some ways. Throughout my professional path, I’ve often been recognized as “the one from that team.” For quite some time, my name wasn’t as widely known as my role or association. People would simply say, “you’re the one,” rather than using my actual name. Indeed, I embraced this label to some extent, but there were undeniably instances on set where the weight of that identity was palpable.
In both Jason Reitman’s movie script and during the early days of Saturday Night Live‘s production, Garrett Morris doesn’t appear as a solitary figure but rather as someone treading carefully, assessing his coworkers before fully engaging. This approach was often beneficial for Black actors like Morris, who were working on a project where it could be easy to create rivals out of strong-willed personalities such as Chevy Chase, given their potential egos.
In the filming of scenes for “Saturday Night,” a production that relies heavily on one-shot sequences, Morris notes that Reitman carefully aligned the on-set interactions to reflect the real-life storyline. Specifically, Lamorne Morris’ character is not regularly involved in extensive socializing with large groups of actors, as he explained it.
Jason is incredibly skilled at his craft, and he empathized with Garrett’s situation, not wanting the audience to question or judge based on racial biases. So, during group activities, he would subtly separate Garrett from the rest, claiming that Garrett wouldn’t mingle in such situations. This allowed me to focus on my own tasks while observing the rest of the cast from a distance until I became more familiar with them. Jason was meticulous in his portrayal, carefully detailing the subtleties of each character’s experiences.
In the television show “Saturday Night”, only a few other significant Black characters can be found among the SNL band, led by Billy Preston, who is played by Jon Batiste, a former bandleader from “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”. This setting is quite distinct from the comedy skits.
When it comes to seeking guidance from Garrett Morris, the Saturday Night actor recounts that he offered a single significant piece of advice, akin to a suggestion. This advice was to avoid giving the impression that he had left or been forced out due to the turbulence behind the scenes. Throughout the first five seasons of SNL, he endured all the challenges that came with those years and didn’t want the movie to diminish his badge of honor earned during that time.
It’s great news that despite being busy with the upcoming release of “Saturday Night,” Morris managed to secure the most significant recognition for his talents so far, by winning the Primetime Emmy for his role in the latest season of “Fargo.” His former colleagues must have congratulated him, but perhaps what’s even more entertaining is his daughter’s reaction to the win.
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2024-10-03 20:07