Chevy Chase told Jason Reitman he ‘should be embarrassed’ about his SNL feature SATURDAY NIGHT

Director Jason Reitmann sets out to tell the crazy true story of the creation of the comedy institution that it is Saturday evening live in his recent film Saturday evening.

It captured the 90 minutes that led up to what we saw when the cameras started rolling on the show’s first episode, fifty years ago.

Reitman was meticulous in choosing the actors who would play the iconic first season cast, and it paid off as the film was a huge hit among fans and critics. But not everyone was happy with the result.

Reitman explained David Spade AND Dana Carvey on their podcast Fly on the Wall:

“So, Chevy comes in to see the movie, and he’s right there with him [wife] Jayni and they watch the movie, and he’s in the group, and then he comes up to me and pats me on the shoulder and says, ‘Well, you should be embarrassed.'”

David Spade said this observation was “exactly a Chevy thing” to say, and added, “You couldn’t even write it better.” Carvey added that Chase “knows it’s funny, like it’s the harshest thing you could say to a director right now, or right up there.”

Reitman said of the conversation: “I’m trying to balance it all, because, in my head, I know, ‘Okay, I’m getting my Chevy Chase moment that’s 1,000% just for me right now.’

“And from a comedic point of view it’s really pure, and it’s quite beautiful. But I also spent about two years of my life recreating this moment and trying to capture Chevy perfectly, and also in ego, finding the humanity and giving him a moment to be loved – no, none of that. He’s not talking about that stuff.”

Explaining his decision to pitch Cory Michael Smith as Chase, Reitman said he “tried to identify one thing” in each character, which for Chase was “an ego that needs to be humbled”.

Although Smith previously admitted that he “didn’t have the privilege of speaking to Chevy” before creating his performance, he learned that the two-time Golden Globe nominee had seen the film.

“I hope he saw a younger version of himself, which is maybe a joyful experience or not,” Smith said People. “But this man played such a big role in making me want to be an actor and love movies, so it was an honor to play him.”

I’m sure if Smith had a conversation with Chevy Chase, the old man would have told him to quit acting or something equally cutting. Any story you hear about Chevy Chase these days is a horror story about what an asshole he is, so it seems like Smith dodged a bullet.

Saturday evening is available to rent or purchase on several platforms, but hasn’t arrived on streaming yet. It is reported that it will arrive on Netflix in the next few months.

via: Deadline