Many actors can say they have received the opportunity to play a real person in a biopic, but fewer have had the honor of meeting the legend whom they are portraying. Lamorne Morris got to be one of the lucky ones after he was cast as Garrett Morris in the upcoming 2024 movie Saturday Night and he revealed he learned a lot from the former SNL star personally.
Sony’s new movie comes from director Jason Reitman, who also co-writes with Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire director Gil Kenan. The Saturday Night movie hits theaters October 11 and depicts, in real time, the hectic struggles that took place at Studio 8H in the moments leading up to the premiere broadcast of the eponymous variety show. It eventually came to be known as one of the all-time best sketch comedy series, but that wasn't so clear at the time.
One person who witnessed the behind-the-scenes insanity firsthand was founding Not Ready for Primetime Players member Garrett Morris, who made a huge impact on SNL in just five seasons. His experience on the set during that legendary first night is being brought to life by Lamorne Morris. The actor — best known as one of the most hilarious New Girl characters, Winston Bishop — and the former SNL cast member are not related, by the way, even though Garrett is “not entirely convinced” he is not Lamorne’s father, as the actor jokingly said previously.
I had the opportunity to speak to Lamorne, who is hosting an event for Mike’s Hard Lemonade in New York on August 20 called the “Jobstacle Course” — an activity meant to shed light on modern working-class individuals feeling overworked. During our discussion, I asked him about his opportunity to speak with Garrett in preparation for the role and he had this to say:
He gave me a lot of insight to what he was thinking… When you read a script, you know what’s on the page, but you’re not 100 percent sure of what the real person was actually feeling. And, surprisingly enough, a lot of his thoughts and feelings lined up with what Jason and Gil had written, which was fun because, you’re studying this script, you’re breaking it down and then, finally you get a chance to meet them and talk. When you see that it worked and that it works out and it’s aligned with everything you’ve been rehearsing, it makes a lot of sense and it's a blessing to have that. You know what I mean? Because, also, I’m portraying this man and I wanna serve the character properly and do him justice.
I cannot imagine a better way to ensure you will give a justified portrayal of Garrett Morris than by learning the man’s take on the material directly. I'm glad the experience sounds like a positive and "fun" one for both men as well, with the younger actor able to get into alignment with the OG SNL name.
When it came to giving him advice, Lamorne said the SNL actor had one important thing to tell him, as well.
His only note to me was, ‘Let them know that I didn’t quit. I didn’t quit, man. I kept going throughout all the adversity. We were just trying to make this show happen and we pushed through.’ That was great to hear because, when you watch the movie, you see it. It’s crazy. It’s, you know, a group of young folks trying to make this thing happen, not knowing that 50 years later, it’s gonna be considered the all-time best. So, it was definitely an honor to play him, for sure.
As the first Black SNL cast member (and the only Black cast member at the time), then 38-year-old Garrett faced feelings of uncertainty and isolation among his much younger cast members, which Lamorne Morris recently talked about in a Vanity Fair piece about Saturday Night. To see that perspective unveiled, in addition to the frantic events surrounding the making of this future comedy institution, should make the film a fascinating watch even for those unfamiliar with the show.
Among those joining the actor in the Saturday Night cast are Gabrielle LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, Kim Matula as Jane Curtin, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, and Matt Wood as John Belushi. Curiously, Succession cast member Nicholas Braun has dual roles as both comedian Andy Kaufman and Muppets creator Jim Henson.
The younger Morris also recently received his first Emmy nomination for starring in Fargo Season 5 as State Trooper Witt Farr. He is set to star alongside Nicolas Cage in the upcoming Spider-Man-related TV show Spider-Noir as a 1930s-era Robbie Robertson. So, keep an eye out. Saturday Night sounds like it's just him kicking things into gear another notch.
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