Before he became one of the longest-running Saturday Night Live cast members ever, Kenan Thompson made a name for himself on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That. Just a few years into its run, the show managed to secure a pretty amazing guest star who was no stranger to live sketch comedy: legendary comedian Chris Farley. In 1997, the SNL and Tommy Boy star appeared in a sketch with Thompson, who recently reminisced about the moment on the PEOPLE in the ’90s podcast.
“It was one of the greatest days I’ve ever seen,” Thompson said before praising Farley as a professional who, in just a few short hours, taught the young Nickelodeon star a “wealth of career knowledge” that would prepare him for his own SNL run. Via Entertainment Weekly:
“When you walk through those doors and are around those people, you’re on. It’s time to be funny. It’s not time to just be there. It’s time to prove why you’re there,” Thompson said. “[On the set of All That] Chris was immediately funny, giving everybody what they expected. That part of being a professional goes a long way because we still talk about him being one of the greatest to this day. And that takes serious dedication.”
Sadly, Farley would die of drug overdose the same year as the All That episode, but over two decades later, his memorable performances are still some of the best the comedy world has to offer. So thank you to Kenan for reminding us of this one.
(Via PEOPLE in the ’90s)