Seeing yourself portrayed during what was probably one of the most stressful moments of your career must be disorienting— especially when the moment was the series premiere of Saturday Night Live. From now until summer hits, SNL nostalgia will be nonstop as the show celebrates its 50th season. In conjunction with the anniversary of the first episode, Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night is bringing the 90 minutes of anxiety in live show pre-production to a cinema near you. How has the cast of the original SNL felt about a new gen of actors reliving their panic attacks from 50 years ago? Has it become a fond memory they can laugh at or do they shudder when they hear the words “30 Rock”? Here’s how the original cast has reacted to the film so far, including a delayed reaction.
Dan Aykroyd
Laraine Newman
Chevy Chase
In the words of David Spade, Chase had the “exact Chevy thing” to say about Saturday Night. In an interview with Spade and Dana Carvey’s podcast, Fly on the Wall, Reitman shared that after watching the movie, Chase came over and patted him on the back and told him, “Well, you should be embarrassed.” However, Reitman didn’t take the comment too personally but instead trying to see it from Chase’s perspective. “I’m trying to balance it, because, in my head, I know, ‘Alright, I’m getting my own Chevy Chase moment that’s 1,000 percent only for me right now.’ And from a comedy point-of-view that’s really pure, and that’s kind of cool,” Reitman explained. “But also, I just spent like two years of my life recreating this moment and trying to capture Chevy perfectly, and also even in ego, find the humanity and give him a moment to be loved — no, none of that shit played. He’s not talking about that stuff.”
Cory Michael Smith, who plays Chase in the film, confirmed to People in October 2024 that Chase has seen the film but didn’t share what the actor thought of his portrayal. He explained, “I do hope that he saw a younger version of himself, which maybe that’s a joyful experience or not. But this man played such a huge part in me wanting to be a performer and loving movies, so it was an honor to play him.”
Garrett Morris
Morris told the Los Angeles Times in October that watching the movie was “a very cathartic experience.” Before filming, Morris spoke with Lamorne Morris (no relation) about his experience at SNL, and the two bonded over their similar television careers.