Ben Stiller Reveals Lorne Michaels’ Reaction to His Short-Lived SNL Stint

Recently, Ben Stiller reflected on his brief appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live’. Stiller appeared in just four episodes of the well-known sketch comedy series in 1989 before quitting his work as a writer and actor after hardly five weeks.
Stiller was asked how SNL founder Lorne Michaels responded to his leaving during an interview on ‘The Interview’, a podcast produced by David Marchese for The New York Times.
Michaels just said, “Ben’s gonna do what Ben’s gonna do,” according to Stiller. Stiller acknowledged that leaving wasn’t the best course of action, but he believed that his uneasiness with live performances would prevent him from succeeding on the show. He went on to say that he had the chance to work on an MTV project at the time and that he was drawn to making short films. Even Stiller found it remarkable in retrospect that he followed his gut and left, even though he had dreamed of joining SNL.
Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Shortly after leaving ‘Saturday Night Live’, Stiller launched his sketch comedy show, ‘The Ben Stiller Show’, which debuted on MTV with six episodes in 1990 and on Fox with twelve more in 1992. With leading parts in popular comedies like ‘There’s Something About Mary’ (1998), ‘Meet the Parents’ (2000), and ‘Zoolander’ (2001), this paved the way for a successful career that spanned the late 1990s and early 2000s.
When Stiller thought back on that time, he remembered reading headlines asking why he was in so many films, to which he replied, “I don’t know. What I do is something I enjoy.” Though he acknowledges that he didn’t give it much thought at the time, he now acknowledges how lucky he was to be a part of that comic era. He pointed out that the tone of comedies from that era was unique and might not be possible to be replicated now.
Image Courtesy: Getty Images
During a follow-up interview with Marchese, Stiller discussed the evolution of humour since the 2000s. He noted that because comedians are now more conscious of how their work may be perceived, producing comedies feels more constrained. Even though it wasn’t entirely innocent, Stiller said that comedians had a little more freedom in the early 2000s.
After ‘Zoolander 2′ lacklustre reception in 2016, Stiller’s approach to his career changed. Since then, he has directed more sombre and melancholy films, such as ‘Severance’ and ‘Escape at Dannemora’ (2018). He continues to get proposals for major comedies, though, including possible concepts for a fourth instalment of ‘Meet the Parents’.
Image Courtesy: Getty Images
Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, and Teri Polo are reportedly in talks to reprise their roles in a future ‘Fockers’ film, according to a recent PEOPLE confirmation. Stiller made assumptions about what the follow-up might cover, including how his character Greg would handle fatherhood and maybe a child’s wedding. Even if he’s amenable to the notion, Stiller stated that his artistic pursuits as a filmmaker have changed, suggesting that he may continue to concentrate on more dramatic endeavours for the time being.
–Farheen Ali