In the wake of iconic SNL announcer Don Pardo’s passing, the show now has the tall order of hiring a replacement to announce the cast’s names at the start of each episode. While Pardo’s timeless voice and presence can’t be replicated, longtime cast member Darrell Hammond has come pretty close while filling in for him on several occasions and recently spoke to Grantland all about working with Pardo over the years and whether he’d consider taking over the job. Here’s what he had to say about developing his Pardo impression:
I had a couple problems with it: The first is the strength of his voice. I remember one time I tried to do James Earl Jones and I coughed my way to apoplexy because his voice was so powerful. I could hit the notes properly, but I couldn’t assimilate the tones. The same with Don: His voice is so powerful it really wore my cords out. I remember seeing him the following week and I remember saying, “I don’t ever want to do that again because I almost blew my cords out, and I don’t want you to think that there’s anyone like you or a way to replace you.â€
When asked whether he’d consider coming back to SNL to take over Pardo’s announcing duties, Hammond responded: “I would be honored and thrilled. That would be lovely.â€
Click through to watch Darrell Hammond fill in for Pardo for James Van Der Beek’s episode in 1999: