And I am eternally grateful to the show. Then, just before what turned out to be his final season on the show, he was tasked with playing then-long shot candidate Donald Trump. And that’s just how I feel personally, you know what I mean? Frederick Douglass (Daveed Diggs) is introduced in direct dichotomy to Brown in an episode that purposely pushes our buttons. Beside that film, Killam, with those movie-star looks, has had a decent film-acting career for someone on SNL, with roles in The Heat and 12 Years a Slave. Killam is also known for his portrayal of a teen pop star in the 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie Stuck in the Suburbs. If I could do that for the rest of my life, every two to three years, I would be a very, very happy individual. Did you ever consider trying to keep his appearance a surprise or was that just not an option? I definitely enjoyed directing. I remember pitching, what if—guys, hear me out—instead of Arnold’s face [on the poster], it’s just a silhouette? I know you got a lot of attention this week for talking about the Trump-hosted episode, saying it “only grows more embarrassing and shameful as time goes on.” Do you think that if he had lost the election you would feel differently about that whole thing? It would have been nice for him to have one more season, so he could make one last concerted effort to define his legacy on the show, but alas. In his directorial debut, Killam not only nailed the ambitious and rarely seen mockumentary action genre, but also landed Arnold Schwarzenegger for the title role. And he’s just one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Killing Gunther is fairly unconventional from a structural standpoint. And Mikey Day and I went to college together, we met 17 years ago. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. How did the idea first come about and then how did it evolve into the movie as it stands today? So I look forward to hopefully getting the opportunity to attempt to do sort of a more traditional narrative film next time around. It was so lovely to watch Bobby and Vanessa [Bayer]’s final season, just because they’re two of my favorite people. I remember there was a big announcement made before the 41st season that you would be playing Donald Trump. So it certainly worked out to my benefit. It’s a welcome comeback for Killam, who thrived on SNL for several seasons, perfecting his impressions of Brad Pitt and Ted Cruz and creating at least one truly memorable recurring character … Family, magic, and sacrifice are redefined in a packed, fitfully brilliant final hour. All the Live Events, Movie Releases, and Productions Affected by the Coronavirus, John Fogerty to Donald Trump: This Cease and Desist Order Ain’t Fortunate, Son, “He is using my words and my voice to portray a message that I do not endorse.”, First-time host Issa Rae seems at home on the, Pandemic Dining Somehow Isn’t the Worst Part of Issa Rae’s. Zero.”. Because when I started writing it, I wasn’t familiar with any sort of heightened genre mockumentaries that I could think of. It’s an incredible, delightful thing to behold. It was always intended to be, as I said, this noble experiment—something low budget that I could shoot with my friends with hopefully a somewhat exciting cameo that comes at the end. I’m sure when you’re there, it doesn’t always feel like there’s anything bigger than what’s happening there. Log in or link your magazine subscription, Cardi B Really Didn’t Mean to Post That Nude, Sacha Baron Cohen Hid in a Bathroom for 5 Hours to Prank Mike Pence, Bette Midler Posts Shriek Peek of Sanderson Sisters’ Virtual. Paul’s character is maybe my favorite in the movie. In retrospect, do you think you could have done both? And a set of French doors. And they were like, no, you’re out of your mind. Exactly. OK, which one of you virgins lit the candle again? But at the same time, there’s also low points and that’s just life. As a result, it felt like his role on SNL diminished over time, which is the opposite of what usually happens. Can you think of anybody better, I mean honestly, for the part? Taran Killam. All rights reserved. I don’t really know and I don’t want to speculate. (Of course, neither did Will Ferrell, but Will Ferrell is Will Ferrell. Killam was a member of the Groundlings, the L.A. improv theater that has produced so many SNL cast members, and like many Groundlings, Killam proved adept at big characters. Few people arrived on Saturday Night Live better prepared to contribute than Taran Killam. He may never have become a breakout star at SNL, but that doesn’t mean he won’t break out. “Mokiki” Definitely a love-it-or-hate-it sketch, Killam sells it not just with the dancing, but also that gross expression on his face. Without a doubt. © 2020 Vox Media, LLC. Did you write it from the beginning with Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind and was there a backup plan if he said no? If you’re lucky enough to get Arnold in your movie, you get people excited to see it. No, he was such a lucky get. Though his output was terrific, it never reached what was expected of him early on. I don’t know that the movie would have been finished. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. (By the way, that film, which he co-wrote and co-stars in, Why We’re Killing Gunther, stars freaking Arnold Schwarzenegger!). It was absolutely my creative desire to save the surprise. But the question I always ask myself is, why are they still filming? That’s exactly right. And yeah, if there was a different history, I’m sure that would be different. And certainly I had multiple open windows. But the tricky thing with having this sort of action-motivated narrative in the movie is that we had to kill a ton of darlings. It’s a welcome comeback for Killam, who thrived on SNL for several seasons, perfecting his impressions of Brad Pitt and Ted Cruz and creating at least one truly memorable recurring character in 1860s newspaper critic Jebidiah Atkinson. When a divine entity closes a door, a window opens. When it was announced that you were not going to be returning to SNL, you kind of speculated that it might have been because this film was in the works. In setting out to write a screenplay that was going to be entirely from me and from my mind, I just wanted to attempt a noble experiment of something that I hadn’t necessarily seen before in blending my two favorite film genres, which are mockumentary a la Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and then a more heightened action movie a la Luc Besson or Michael Mann or Quentin Tarantino. Because we have actual cars blowing up and we have gunfights with blanks and people jumping off of balconies. And it still is for me. An episode that feels like a tipping point delivers the first high-level casualty of the Fadda-Cannon conflict. “Protective Brother” This sketch is most often referred to as “glice” for the word Killam says over and over and over. That said, it’s hard not think of Killam’s run on SNL as a little disappointing. Specifically Bobby Moynihan and Paul Brittain, both of whom you worked with on SNL, are such incredible improvisers, so that must have been a major asset on set. Killam never totally fit into one of those silos. But they have the same agent, Bruce and Arnold, and the agent said, you know, Arnold’s looking to do some stuff that’s out of the box, some smaller-scale things, and he’s really been looking to do a comedy. “We Did Stop”Killam only did John Boehner three times, but his melting-clock version here is undoubtedly memorable. I still have so many friends on it. We’ve already talked about Arnold, but I would do every project with Bobby Moynihan for the rest of my life if I could. It’s not and it makes me sad. It’s a good example of what people who loved Killam loved about him on the show. Taran Hourie Killam (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor, comedian and writer. Taran Killam had no problem staying busy in the year since he was unceremoniously let go by Saturday Night Live. It’s the thing I miss the most about doing the show, are the people and the relationships I have there. And then the second Arnold comes on board it becomes a bigger thing, in only good ways. Your dad does one. As all things in this life, it’s complicated and varied and SNL presented me with some of the greatest creative moments and strongest relationships that I’ll ever have in my entire life. Killam was always good at playing very white. As a bonus, Killam is another in a long history of funny dancers, with sketches like my personal favorite “Les Jeunes de Paris.”. Look, you’re going to have to watch it for yourself. “Call Your Girlfriend” This technically wasn’t on the show, but his recreation of the “Call Your Girlfriend” video was easily Killam’s most memorable moment. Yeah, no way. That was one of the first things that I thought of: What if this documentary crew literally had a gun to their heads and was forced to keep rolling? You do one. Killam wasn’t even allowed the triumphant send-off that he watched his friends Bobby Moynihan and Vanessa Bayer receive this past May. But after just a few appearances, they brought back Darrell Hammond and then ultimately replaced him with Alec Baldwin. There’s just absolutely no way. I have kept it no secret that it wasn’t a comfortable thing for me at the time and just personally with the way that the world is now, it’s particularly conflicting. Pitt had been famous for years, but Killam found a way in and people loved it. But as a triple-threat with Killing Gunther—he wrote, directed and stars—Killam is proving that he has much bigger things in his future. This was one of those. We didn’t finish the movie until the end of April. After just a handful of appearances, he was replaced by Darrell Hammond. Exactly. As a first-time director, what were some of the biggest challenges of pulling off what feels like a pretty large-scale production? If anything, Killam had the heart of a character actor but the face of a leading man, and the show seemingly had difficulty placing him. You clearly don’t know how the Hollywood business works. By the following fall, Hammond was pushed aside for Alec Baldwin. “Would you consider Arnold Schwarzenegger?” Yes, gladly. Killam played a lot of white politicians on the show, but his Cruz really stood out for just how unlikable he was able to make him.