Kevin Hart has low key become one of the best celebrity interviews in the business (Hart to Heart), and he recently sat down with Pete Davidson to unpack how the still-young, weirdly-veteran comic got his slot on Saturday Night Live.
“I got really lucky,” Davidson said. “I was doing stand-up for 3, 4 years in the city, and I met Amy Schumer. She let me open for her on the road for a little bit. She was like, ‘I’m doing this movie Trainwreck. I’ll see if I can get you a part in it.” And so she did. Davidson had a cameo appearance alongside Bill Hader, and after a day of hanging on set, Davidson’s agent called him the next day to say that Hader had submitted Davidson for an SNL audition. “Why the fuck would he do that? I was terrified!” Davidson said.
He also went on to describe the nerve-wracking, no laughs vibe of the audition process which sounds more like a colonoscopy with wealthy patrons allowed to watch from the shadows. But what’s most interesting about the conversation is Davidson’s belief that he’d only make it the one year before being fired, figuring he’d at least have the credit to dine out on for the near future. Eight seasons later, Davidson is one of the biggest names in comedy, having struggled to find his true place in the cast until he and Lorne hit on a rhythm that worked in his last few years. His next movie, horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies is out August 5th.
So, for those who still dream of working on SNL, all you have to do is impress a world-famous comedian enough that she puts you in a movie where you impress another world-famous comedian enough that he gets you an audition. Then, you’re pretty much home free.