THE Saturday night film brings some legendary Saturday night live cast members to the big screen, but only a few of the film's stars were actually on the show. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film explores the lead-up to the first episode of Lorne Michael's comedy show. Saturday nightThe cast sees rising stars playing original SNL cast members Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris and Jane Curtis. In doing so, actors such as Dylan O'Brien, Ella Hunt, Cory Michael Smith and Matt Wood gave their take on the comedians.
The moment of Saturday nightThe release of coincides with the show's 50th anniversary. Over these five decades, there has been no shortage of notable actors who have appeared in SNL in some way, whether as a cast member, host or cameo. This created an opportunity for some significant overlap when it came to the film's casting and the use of people who were on the real show. Despite the reverence Saturday night has for the actual TV series, the crossover of actors in the show and the film is very small.
Willem Dafoe and JK Simmons hosted SNL before appearing on Saturday night
They also made cameos before becoming hosts
Willem Dafoe and JK Simmons are the only ones Saturday night cast members who had the honor of hosting SNL. Dafoe plays NBC executive David Tebet in the film, while Simmons plays "Mr. Television" Milton Berle. Both actors have a history with SNL as each of them made two appearances; once as a special appearance and once as an official presenter.
JK Simmons SNL the story dates back to 1999. He had a cameo in the season 25 premiere episode as part of the pre-recorded "Oz" sketch. It was only 16 years later that Simmons returned to SNL be a host. He presented the thirteenth episode of the 40th season amid the recognition he received for his performance in Whipwhich earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Nine years later, he delivers a scene-stealing performance as Milton Bertle in Saturday night.
As for Willem Dafoe, his time SNL It's much more recent. He technically made his debut in the eleventh episode of season 47, as he had a small cameo a week before hosting in 2022. Dafoe's appearance came shortly after his return as Green Goblin in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He was officially cast as David Tebet in Saturday night about two years later.
Nicholas Braun made a cameo on SNL before Saturday night
The Succession star had a surprising cameo
Nicholas Braun did not host SNL before, like Dafoe and Simmons, but he had an unexpected cameo on the show in 2021. Succession star appeared in the fourth episode of season 47 as part of the recurring What's Up With That sketch. This iteration of Kenan Thompson's talk show parody had Jason Sudeikis appear, while Braun was one of the cameos alongside Oscar Isaac and Emily Ratajkowski. The sketch teases that Braun is Lindsey Buckingham dressed up as Cousin Greg.
This marks the only appearance that Nicholas Bruan had in SNLalthough he is now responsible for playing two roles in Saturday night. He plays Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson in the film, serving as a meta-example of how actors in SNL plays several roles in different sketches. Maybe he'll get a chance to officially host SNL at a different point.
Why Saturday Night Movie Didn't Use More SNL Actors
Casting decisions were purposeful
Director Jason Reitman has not explicitly stated why else SNL veterans were not part Saturday nightcast, even if it was just for a cameo. Having some previous cast members or more hosts appear could have been a great chance for the film to include additional winks and nods to the show's real-life legacy. However, it was probably decided that going this route would be the wrong decision for a few different reasons.
An obstacle that Saturday night would have to go through was finding the right roles for the current or past SNL members to play. Most of the program's current players are very old to perform the necessary roles. As fun as it was to have great modern cast members like Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Cecily Strong, and others appear in the film, there's still the question of them playing appropriate roles.
There is also the chance of Saturday night I didn't want to get too close to looking like a giant SNL outline using familiar cast members and presenters. Simmons, Dafoe, and Braun's experiences on the real show are pretty limited, so they still work in the real movie. However, the public may have experienced Saturday night in a completely different way if Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Chris Parnell, Aidy Bryant, Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy and so on appeared. It was better to choose new and fresh faces.