Lorne Michaels reveals everything aboutSNLs 46th season, including the shows new Biden.
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There was a lot to figure out.
And thats in a normalSNLseason.
Season 46 is not going to be normal.
And, last but surely not least, there isthiselection.
But who was going to play Joe Biden?
I want to start with last spring and theAt Homeshows.
Because of all the years together and that many shows everybody just understood the shorthand.
So the culture held, and I was happy about that.
It was an amazing thing.
Wed call the running order at 5:00, so now can they make everything ready for 11:30?
Because theres so many pieces that were interconnected and needed a fix or editing.
And then we say good-bye and watch it at 11:30.
It began to dawn that we were not coming back.
At first it was,Well be delayed a couple weeks.
And then there were a lot of reasons to do the show, some economic.
There are a lot of people whose job it was.
We wanted to finish the season, or finish it in any way we could.
But also, weve always been there in difficult times.
People expect us to show up, and thats another reason why were coming back in a couple weeks.
I just came out of a production meeting for two and half hours.
You know, theres still a lot to figure out.
We need the audience, obviously.
With comedy, when you dont hear the response, its just different.
That discipline of the audience having a voice is really important to the process.
You see it play or not play.
It was announced last week thatthe show is coming back on October 3live and in Studio 8H.
Because there are four debates and then its Halloween, and thats the weekend before the election.
Will the hosts function in the same way where theyll be there for the whole week?Yes.
It will also be smaller.
I dont think well go in 25 minutes or 30 minutes long at dress rehearsal.
Just the logistics alone will … Its going to be interesting.
And youll see the same people.Maya Rudolph is coming back, and Alec [Baldwin] will be back.
And Jim Carrey is going to do Biden.
How did you land on Jim for Biden?There was some interest on his part.
And then we responded, obviously, positively.
But it came down to discussions about what the take was.
He and Colin Jost had a bunch of talks.
He and I as well.
He will give the part energy and strength, and …
I think thats the sort of New YorkTimesapproach to thinking about things.
Alec Baldwins probably done the show 25 or 30 times.
Its the same way with Maya [as Kamala] you saw what she brought to it.
So, I dont think of it that way.
Beck [Bennett] will be doing Pence because he does it brilliantly.
And also, youre talking about candidates who are in their 70s.
When you put someone 28 in that makeup, it just different.
ObviouslyWoody [Harrelson] did Biden on the first show last seasonand did it brilliantly.
Jason [Sudeikis] has done it in the past.
Part of it also is whoever does it has to basically relocate to New York because of quarantine.
So, there were a lot of factors involved in that.
But Im thrilled Jims doing it.
This week, the show announced thatall the cast from last season is returningnext season.
Shes funny and fresh.
Punkie Johnson, who is from New Orleans, and a stand-up.
And Andrew Dismukes is the third.
He was on the writing staff, but hes a stand-up as well.
Then you go through their past work, and …
I think thats sort of what the media now does.
Yeah.All three of [the new cast members] are people with original voices and talent.
Theyre bringing something that we now dont have.
And also, Kate will be back for all these election shows.
Cecily is doing a project in Vancouver, but well green screen her for things.
People will stay involved, but they may not physically be in the studio.
There are a lot of really long-running cast members.[Laughs.]
Does that reflect a different approach?
Is it something about this season in particular?Many things have happened.
Now itll be shot after the election shows, and hell go back and forth to Los Angeles.
And certainly thats the way it is for Cecily as well, and Aidy.
Their hearts are here.
I have no question about it.
This is their first priority.
So Im happy about that.
Are there any changes in terms of head writer?Anna has been added,Anna Drezen.
Thats great.Yeah, no, shes great.
You have a unique vantage point on American politics as a Canadian American running this show.
Does it feel different right now?
So, well give our point of view.
There are a lot of writers, a lot of differing points of view.
Over the years, Ive had, obviously, complaints from both parties.
People feel things are unfair, and I understand that.
But if were taking shots, I hope were taking clean shots.
The difference isSNLis arguably one of them.
How do you reconcile that?
How do you see your andSNLs role now in considering that?I think in exactly the same way.
We came on in 75, and the last helicopter of Saigon was 75.
And there was Watergate, of course.
When I got here, the city felt abandoned and broke.
I dont think things are nearly as bad now as they were then.
Even though Im … Well, yeah is the answer.
This show is such a handmade show, and it involves so many people.
This summer we saw protests in historic numbers in an attempt to reckon with institutional racism in our society.
So it was officially understood as important, and time had run out on the various excuses.
That said, I think we always tried to be sensitive to all of it.
Considering that its an institution started in 1975, weve lived through a lot.
Do you believe he said this?
We give a shot to get to the truth of it.
In the nicest possible way, were not their friends.
I heard you talk abouthow certain presidential nominees and presidents are easy to impersonate or theyre interesting to impersonate.
But then you have people like Obama, who are really hard.Yeah, and Reagan.
Reagan also was really hard.
But then hes also doing stuff thats written by a fairly sophisticated writing staff.
The problem in politics is everyone they meet knows who they are.
And thatll be about the time I start to pay attention.
What Im saying is these are national events big and life-changing events.
People are commenting on it every day for four years, but Im not sure people pay much attention.
This is the time when they pay attention.
Thats why these debates will be important, and thats why well be doing all of that.
Its going to be a very, very close race.
I was working on a show calledLaugh Inin 1968, and Richard Nixon came on.
Obviously, I was the lowest end of writer there and a kid.
But what Im getting at is theres no time that feels as divided as that period of 68.
And theres just too many of them.
Its easier in the run-ups.
Do you know what I mean?
But its too tough now.
Theyll say this isnt necessarily their favorite thing to do on the show.
Do you like the topical stuff?
Does an election year excite you?Yeah.
Do you fear it ever overshadows the rest of the show?No.
Were a topical show.
And thats what weve always been.
I cant really explain how it evolved, but it clearly evolved, and it somehow still feels right.
And laughs are the clear indicator.
Thats why the audience is so important.
Because you just cant come out and express your political opinions.
There has to be something,somethingthat gets close to the truth that youre doing and thats honest.
And thats where the laughs come from.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
