This week on the Fly on the Wall podcast, hosts Dana Carvey and David Spade welcome fellow Saturday Night Live alum Jason Sudeikis to the program to discuss his dunking ability, favorite SNL sketches, and his latest massive success, Ted Lasso.
LISTEN NOW: Fly On The Wall: Jason Sudeikis
Currently riding the wave of success from his hit series Ted Lasso, actor Jason Sudeikis began his career with Saturday Night Live in 2003, hired as a sketch writer while making sporadic appearances on screen before becoming a full-fledged cast member in 2005. He was upgraded to the show's esteemed repertory status in 2006 and, after his exit in 2013, Jason has -- luckily for fans -- made occasional surprise appearances and celebrated his hosting debut with musical guest Brandi Carlile in 2021.
Fellow SNL alums Carvey and Spade have both been following Jason's trajectory for years, remembering fondly his macho, aviator glasses take on then-senator Joe Biden in 2008.
Jason remembers falling into the role when Biden received President Barack Obama's VP nomination, relating the experience of performing opposite Tina Fey's Sarah Palin character to that of magician Fred Kaps, who had to take the Ed Sullivan Show stage following The Beatles' iconic 1964 performance.
"I lived that existence," he says. "Everybody was clamoring for it, and she crushed it. I had fun runs written by Jim Downey and Seth [Meyers], but everybody was like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. OK, here we go,'" Jason admits, all waiting for Tina's part to begin.
Looking back to his first SNL audition, Jason remembers one character he featured which was an over-the-top take on a Rick Santorum-type senator who offended more and more people as he attempted to apologize to the previous group. Very 2003. Over the years, his relationship with producer Lorne Michaels was always one of encouragement. "I think he wanted me to get out of my own way while on his watch," Jason says. "He's seen all of us, or our archetypes like a dozen times over at this point, so he was like, 'OK, I'm gonna give you Billy Murray advice.' That's what it felt like, a little bit... But he was always supportive; he was always someone I felt like I could go up and speak to."
"I remember after that first audition," he continues, "talking to Horatio [Sans] who I knew from Second City, and Maya Rudolph who I just met... I went down to go, 'They're not gonna laugh, no one's gonna do anything. Don't worry about it.' I went down and did it, and after I got done with my studio audition -- the first one -- Lorne came over and shook my hand. I did not know what to make of it! I still don't know what to make of it."
Listen to the full episode with Jason Sudeikis -- now playing on Audacy -- as Cadence13 invites you to be a Fly on the Wall with Saturday Night Live alumni Dana Carvey and David Spade, behind the scenes as they reminisce about their most memorable stories and moments with friends of the show. In each episode, you’ll hear from your favorite cast members, hosts, writers, and musical guests as they share never-before-told stories about their careers.
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