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‘Saturday Night’ Star Gabriel LaBelle on Playing Lorne Michaels in SNL Movie
The iconic phrase “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” now has a new resonance for Gabriel LaBelle.
On a recent Thursday night in Los Angeles, during Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood party, the actor reflected on his experience playing “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels in Jason Reitman’s upcoming film “Saturday Night.” The movie delves into the exhilarating whirl that led to the NBC comedy show’s first broadcast.
“Last time I saw you, we were talking about ‘The Fabelmans’ and how you embodied a young Spielberg. Now you’ve transformed into a young Lorne Michaels,” remarked Variety’s Angelique Jackson, underscoring LaBelle’s 2022 breakout role.
LaBelle responded with a candid, “We’ll see, it’s not out yet. I could mess everything up,” before expressing his confidence in the project. “I saw the movie a couple of weeks ago. It’s really good. Jason did such a good job. I’m so proud to be a part of that.”
When asked about how he prepared to assume the role of the legendary “SNL” boss, LaBelle mentioned, “I met him once briefly. I was reading books, a lot of books, the internet’s endless. I looked at impressions—not to do a caricature of him, but to define which mannerisms kind of pop up that the people closest to him remember. Just toning it down and working on his Canadian accent.”
Co-written by Reitman and Gil Kenan, the film offers a close-up look at the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to the first show. The trailer, recently released, shows LaBelle navigating a series of challenges to get the show on the air amid pressure from unpredictable cast members and demanding studio executives.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Reitman noted how having 21-year-old LaBelle portray Michaels, who was 30 at the start of “SNL,” added a layer of authenticity to the sense of overwhelm the character experiences. “We meet Lorne as he’s still forming,” Reitman said. “He is a genius, and he has a vision beyond anyone else there — and anyone his age. It’s a lot for an actor to carry.”
The film’s impressive ensemble cast includes Dylan O’Brien (Aykroyd), Cory Michael Smith (Chase), Rachel Sennott (Rosie Shuster), Lamorne Morris (Morris), Nicholas Braun (Jim Henson), Finn Wolfhard (an NBC page), Jon Batiste (Preston), Ella Hunt (Radnor), Cooper Hoffman (Ebersol), Andrew Barth Feldman (Neil Levy), Naomi McPherson (Ian), Willem Dafoe (David Tebet), J.K. Simmons (Milton Berle), and Kaia Gerber (Jacqueline Carlin), among others.
Asked whether he might host “Saturday Night Live” someday, maybe even for the October 12 episode that coincides with the Sony movie’s October 11 release, LaBelle expressed enthusiasm. “I grew up on ‘SNL,’ so it would be another dream come true,” he said. “I didn’t know I would ever get the chance to experience it.”
