It’s possible that no job in entertainment is as complicated or stress-inducing as starring on Saturday Night Live. However, the legendary NBC sketch show is about to enter Season 51 of funny folks doing just that, and usually to great laughs and star-making acclaim. We don’t know if the 2025 TV schedule will see any surprise appearances from SNL alum Rachel Dratch, but the comedian just revealed a big lesson she learned by being part of the cast.
What’s A Key Lesson Rachel Dratch Learned From Starring On SNL?
Though many people would do anything to avoid performing live in front of millions, being a member of the Saturday Night Live cast has been a dream for numerous comedians over the show’s five decades on the air, and dozens of them have been able to make epic returns to SNL after becoming even more successful away from the series. Rachel Dratch, who has one of the funniest recurring characters in Debbie Downer, returns every now and then, and she recently told People what she learned while starring on the series from 1999-2006, and said:
Have fun, because if you’re having fun, that translates to the audience. If you’re like, ‘Oh, I hope this goes really well,’ then you’re not really in the moment.
While I completely understand how any hint of worry before a performer hits that stage for a live broadcast can undercut what they’re trying to accomplish once a skit starts…Ooooooh, boy! Having to divorce oneself from performance anxiety and just “have fun” seems nearly impossible to me.
And, it actually turns out that it’s also nearly impossible even for those who were able to turn their time on the comedy into major success there and elsewhere. Bill Hader, whose eight-season stint gave us the character Stefan and dozens of memorable celebrity impressions, revealed how filled with anxiety he was while working on the show, and noted that it became “really detrimental for my performing.”
Former cast members like Andy Samberg have also talked about how “stressful” working on the hit can be and others, like Conan O’Brien, have even opened up about the pressures of just writing for the show or how even waiting to see if they’re returning to the cast can be “excruciating.” But, Dratch says that her connection to the show is still very strong, to the point where she’d never turn down an appearance, and added:
Anytime they call, you come running. So no, I would always say yes to SNL. It’s always fun to go back.
Really? “It’s always fun to go back”? Well, it sounds like somebody’s not really a Debbie Downer after all.
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