Joey Magidson
One of the hardest roles in Saturday Night has to be John Belushi. There isn’t a more distinct player on Saturday Night Live during the early days, so casting the part had to be a huge task for filmmaker Jason Reitman. That he not only landed on Matt Wood but also helped craft a memorable performance out of the man says something about them both. For Wood especially, it’s a real welcome to Hollywood moment as well. I recently spoke to Gabriel LaBelle about the film here (with Dylan O’Brien coming later this week, as well as Jon Batiste and Reitman very soon), but today, it’s Wood’s turn.
In my review of Saturday Night from back at Telluride (here), I said the following about Wood and the ensemble:
This ensemble cast is absolutely aces. Whether they look like their real-life counterparts or not, they find the spirit of these geniuses. As our guide throughout the madness, Gabriel LaBelle is a steady hand, showing cracks but also trying to make everything work. Lorne Michaels was about to change the TV landscape forever, but in the moment, he just wants to make it to 11:30. Everyone is so good, but the standouts do include Lamorne Morris, Dylan O’Brien, Rachel Sennott, Matt Wood, and especially Cory Michael Smith. J.K. Simmons steals his few scenes as Milton Berle, unsurprisingly. The massive cast also includes Andrew Barth Feldman, Tracy Letts, Naomi McPherson, Paul Rust, and Finn Wolfhard, plus so many more. The ensemble has an energy that just goes on for 90 minutes plus without letting up.
Below, you can see my chat with Wood. We had a lot of fun, to be sure. From Wood being put forth by someone online to play Wolverine for Marvel, all the way to what everyone on set was like, there’s such a joy to Wood that you can’t help but like him. It all makes for a really enjoyable conversation, one that should make you very eager to check out the flick, which is one of the year’s very best. Saturday Night is currently available to buy or rent digitally, while the Blu-ray and DVD are hitting shelves on January 7th, 2025. However you watch it, make sure you watch it…
Here now is my interview with Saturday Night cast member Matt Wood. Enjoy:
Saturday Night is currently in theaters and available to watch on VOD!
Comments
Loading…