Dr. Anthony Fauci probably never thought he’d be a household name, and a mild celebrity. The immunologist and Presidential advisor has become the face of the COVID-19 response team, often beaming into our living rooms to share knowledge, progress on the global efforts, and occasional humor. And on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, Fauci was portrayed by none other than Brad Pitt. Not a bad pull, if you are looking for an A-lister to play you in a spoof.
Brad Pitt did the cold open of the second Saturday Night Live At Home specials. The production values on this second attempt were far superior to the initial run (“hosted” by Tom Hanks). And Fauci caught the impression (hell, Fauci basically REQUESTED it a few weeks ago!), because when Telemundo asked the doctor to critique the performance, he told them:
I think he did great. I’m a great fan of Brad Pitt, and that’s the reason why when people asked me who I would like to play me, I mention Brad Pitt. He’s one of my favorite actors. I think he did a great job. I think he showed that he is really a classy guy when at the end he took off his hair and thanked me and all of the health care workers. So not only is he a really great actor, but he is actually a classy person.
At the end of his skit, which featured Dr. Anthony Fauci (Brad Pitt) correcting the various statements released by Donald Trump, Pitt took off his wig and spoke directly to the good doctor, thanking him for his calming presence and sense of leadership during this difficult time. It was a sweet and heartwarming way to end a decently funny routine, and the right way to kick off that episode of SNL.
Did you get to see it? We have it for you down below:
The one good thing about a nationwide Stay At Home notice is that talent like Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks are around to pitch in for Saturday Night Live, so long as technology allows them to do it from a distance. The cast has gotten fairly clever about how to build skits around the limitations of isolation. We even got a new episode of “What’s Up With That?” starring Charles Barkley and DJ Khaled. Bizarre!
We don’t know how many more of these from-home Saturday Night Live episodes we will get before the world returns to some form of normal. Maybe someone else famous will get a chance to play Dr. Anthony Fauci? Or, can you think of an A-lister who resembles Dr. Deborah Birx?
