How the ‘Saturday Night’ Cast Compares to the ‘SNL’ Stars They’re Playing

The Saturday Night cast has Us shook by their resemblance to their real-life Saturday Night Live counterparts.

The  film, which was originally titled SNL 1975, will focus on the behind-the-scenes story of the night leading up to SNL‘s first broadcast in October 1975. The movie’s director Jason Reitman wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan, which was based on an extensive series of interviews with living cast members, writers and crew.

Saturday Night stars Lamorne Morris, Dylan O’Brien, Cory Michael Smith, Matt Wood, Gabriel LaBelle and Cooper Hoffman as some of the iconic comedians who helped establish the sketch series. Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard is also set to play an NBC page.

Since its inception, Saturday Night Live has become a fixture in late-night programming. In addition to each episode featuring a celebrity host and a musical guest, the show has helped launch the careers of many cast members such as Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Tina Fey, Adam Sandler, Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon.

[poll id=”3709592″]

Keep scrolling to see how the cast of Saturday Night compares to their real-life counterparts from SNL:

Tebet was VP Talent Relations at NBC when SNL first launched. Tebet’s role encompassed two key functions: identifying promising talent and persuading them to join the network while ensuring their satisfaction and retention. He not only recruited potential stars but also maintained their contentment throughout their time with the network.

Willem Dafoe will be stepping into the role of Tebet after a long, celebrated career in smash hits like Spider-Man, Born on the Fourth of July and The Last Temptation of Christ.

Henson appeared on the first season of SNL alongside his creative team before going on to produce The Muppet Show. He won two Emmys for his involvement in The StoryTeller and The Jim Henson Hour and was married to Jane Nebel from 1959 to 1986.

In 1990, Henson died at age 53 from toxic shock syndrome. He was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 2011.

Nicholas Braun will be playing Henson in Saturday Night after rising to stardom for his role as Greg on HBO’s Succession. Braun also starred in movies such as Sky High, Princess Protection Program, Prom, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, How to Be Single and Zola.

O’Donoghue was the first head writer of Saturday Night Live and the first performer to deliver a line on the series. After a brief break from the show, O’Donoghue returned to SNL in 1981, but his volatile personality created a tense environment. He was released from the show after writing a sketch that included references to Adolf Hitler and a swastika, which ultimately never aired. O’Donoghue was rehired by Michaels in 1985, but he left again one month later.

O’Donoghue was married to the show’s musical director Cheryl Hardwick. He died at age 54 in 1994 from cerebral hemorrhage.

In Saturday Night, Tommy Dewey will be playing O’Donoghue. The actor had a breakout role on The Mindy Project before starring on Casual, Now We’re Talking and as the voice of Stu Pickles and Rusty on Paramount+’s Rugrats.

The filmmaker was scheduled to appear on the first episode of Saturday Night, but his sketch was cut. After hosting SNL twice, Crystal joined the regular cast in 1984. In addition to his stand-up career, Crystal starred on the ABC sitcom Soap. He also scored roles in When Harry Met Sally…, Mr. Saturday Night, Forget Paris, Father’s Day and America’s Sweethearts. Crystal has won six Emmys and a Tony throughout his career and voices Mike Wazowski in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.

Nicholas Podany will play Crystal after starring as Albus Potter in Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child from 2019 to 2020.

The comedian — who was the first Black cast member on the show — was part of SNL from 1975 to 1980. Morris went on to star in The Jeffersons, The Jamie Foxx Show and 2 Broke Girls. 

Lamorne Morris will be bringing the role to life after previously winning audiences over with his appearances on New Girl and Call Me Kat. The actor won his first Emmy in September 2024 for his role on Fargo.

During his time on SNL from 1975 to 1979, Aykroyd received five Emmy Award nominations and won one for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. He has since appeared in Ghostbusters, Driving Miss Daisy, My Girl, 50 First Dates and The Campaign. On the small screen, Aykroyd starred on Home Improvement and The Conners. 

O’Brien has been cast as Aykroyd after rising to stardom for his role on Teen Wolf. He later branched out to movies such as Deepwater Horizon, American Assassin, Bumblebee, Love and Monsters and Not Okay. O’Brien is arguably most well-known, however, for his collaborations with Taylor Swift. 

Smith will be the one to watch as he brings Chevy Chase to life in Saturday Night. Chase had his breakout during the first season of Saturday Night Life and would go on to win two Emmys for his work. 

One season later, Chase branched out by booking roles in movies such as Foul Play, Caddyshack, Fletch and the National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise. 

In addition to his professional success, Chase made headlines following several reports about alleged racist behavior on the set of Community, the NBC sitcom he starred on from 2009 to 2014. He previously addressed the allegations of unprofessional behavior by standing by his demeanor.

Following his 1977 exit, Chase has made cameos on SNL over the years but hasn’t returned as a host. 

Smith, meanwhile, has starred in Carol, Wonderstruck and May December. He also appeared on Fox‘s Gotham as The Riddler.

After building up his comedy career, John Belushi became one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show. He was part of SNL for four years before leaving with Aykroyd to film The Blues Brothers. The duo continued to collaborate on most projects ahead of Belushi’s death from an overdose in 1982.

Wood was cast as Belushi after previously appearing in the original Broadway cast of SpongeBob SquarePants. He also booked roles on Law and Order: SVU, Instinct and Difficult People.

LaBelle has very big shoes to fill as Lorne Michaels a.k.a the creator and executive producer of SNL. Michaels has a producing credit on Late Night, The Kids in the Hall and The Tonight Show as well. He currently holds the record for the most Emmy nominations with 98 —  21 of which he won. 

As for LaBelle, the actor is best known for his role in Steven Spielberg‘s The Fabelmans.

Hoffman, who is the son of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and costume designer Mimi O’Donnell, is set to play Dick Ebersol in the upcoming film. Hoffman notably starred in Licorice Pizza and Wildcat. 

Ebersol, meanwhile, was an executive at NBC who approached Michaels for help filling their Saturday night time slot. And the rest is history. 

Michaels’ ex-wife Rosie Shuster will be brought to life by Rachel Sennott. Michaels and Shuster, who were married from 1971 to 1980, collaborated on SNL in its early days. Shuster was a writer on the sketch show until the ’80s.  

Viewers might be familiar with Sennott’s acting range after her starring roles in Shiva Baby, Bodies Bodies Bodies and Bottoms.   

After joining SNL in 1975, Gilda Radner became a household name and remained on the show for five years. She won an Emmy Award for her performance on the show before branching out into Broadway. Radner, who died from ovarian cancer in 1989, was posthumously awarded a Grammy award. 

In Saturday Night, Ella Hunt will be playing the iconic comedic figure. She previously appeared on Cold Feet and Dickinson. 

After showing an interest in improv, Laraine Newman became a founding member of the comedy group The Groundlings. She went on to find success on SNL from 1975 to 1980, which she was later honored for at the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

Newman has since transitioned into voice acting with roles in Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Up and Inside Out. In Saturday Night, Newman will be portrayed by Emily Fairn in her first movie role. 

The actress rose to prominence as an original cast member on SNL before winning numerous Emmy Awards for her role on Kate & Allie. Jane Curtin later starred on 3rd Rock from the Sun and has continued to appear in numerous TV shows and movies.

Curtin will be played by Kim Matula, who is known for projects such as The Bold and the Beautiful, Unreal and LA to Vegas.

Carlin tied the knot with Chase in 1976, one year after SNL’s premiere. She appeared in a handful of uncredited roles on SNL from 1975 to 1976, according to her IMDb, as well as the 1978 film Thank God It’s Friday. Carlin and Chase ended their marriage in 1980, and she later wed record producer Terry Melcher.

She died at age 78 in 2021. Kaia Gerber is set to portray Carlin in Saturday Night, coming off of past TV and movie credits such as Bottoms, Babylon and American Horror Story.

Levy worked alongside his cousin Michaels on SNL as a production assistant and talent coordinator from 1975 to 1985. He followed up his time on the comedy series by working as a writer on the TV show Aaron’s Way and the 1989 film Rude Awakening.

No Hard Feelings star Andrew Barth Feldman, who also starred in Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen and the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, will portray Levy in the upcoming film.