Live From New York - James H. Miller [242]
PAULA PELL:
We have a lot of two-person sketches as opposed to big ensembles of early days. I think it’s because of the way we write. We go into little offices with one or two people and someone will have an idea for just one character. I’ve written some pieces with lots of people in them, but it’s hard sometimes if the piece is about a certain character. You have only five minutes to do the sketch and now you have somebody that has to be the center of it. Which is why I think we have a lot of talk shows and a lot of presentational things where it’s like, “Hi, I’m My Character.”
HORATIO SANZ, Cast Member:
I used to watch it when I was eight. In Chicago. My brothers used to watch it. They shared a room and I’d sneak in and watch it with them. I’ve kind of always in the back of my mind wanted to do it. It had been a dream of mine since I was little. Then in high school you kind of think maybe it’s a crazy dream. At one point I toyed with the idea of being in the CIA, but I think you have to join the army first, unless you’re really smart. Then my brother started acting in college and I’d go see his plays and it kind of made it more like something I could see. I thought, “Oh, it’s more tangible.” So I started doing that. I quit college when I started doing improv and I really figured that’s what I wanted to do. I was at Colombia College in Chicago. I went to film and television school. And I figure that too is another thing you have to be really good at. If you want to work in the crew, you have to be really good. And I wasn’t.
I was in Second City. Everybody would hang out at night, drinking and doing bits. That made it hard to wake up early and make class. Fourteen of us auditioned that year for SNL. I’ve auditioned all my life for things, and even when I’ve gotten stuff, I didn’t really give it my all. Like I auditioned for the Roseanne sketch show and In Living Color. And I never really gave it my all. I kind of just fucked around. I guess the reason was I didn’t want those other shows, I wanted to wait for this show. I just prepared for this audition really well — more than anything I’ve ever done. I figured this is my shot and I didn’t want it to be like one of those situations where you mess it up and you’re like, “Oh well, there will be something else. If I don’t get the show at least I can say I did the best I could.” They wanted to fly me out the day before; I wanted them to fly me out the week before so I could get acclimated with the city and practice my audition piece. So I went early, put myself in a different hotel, and I just ran my piece, over and over.
I was told by people that I knew on the show, “They don’t laugh at auditions. So don’t be thrown by it. Keep doing your job.” So then when I did hear laughter, that helped me out. I’m thinking, “Oh, this is going better than it normally does.” And then I kind of felt really good about the audition. Even if I didn’t get the show, I would have felt good about it. And then you go into these meetings, like, “Oh, it’s almost done. You have to meet Lorne.” So then you’re just waiting. And then you meet Lorne and he goes, “You did good. We liked you. I think we’d like to have you on the show.” But he doesn’t say you’re hired. He goes, “Okay, you did good. We’re going to bring you out. We’re going to bring you out to New York.” You kind of want to hear that you’re hired. But he doesn’t tell you. So I said, “Should I tell my parents I have to move to New York?” And he goes, “Yeah. Tell them you have to move to New York — but don’t tell them you’ll be on the show.” I guess what that means is that having the job somehow doesn’t mean you’re going to be around in the show.
MOLLY SHANNON:
After NYU drama school, I moved to Los Angeles. I was auditioning for TV pilots and some commercials and stuff but couldn’t really catch a break.