Saturday Night Live has launched a lot of great comedians’ careers over its historic 48-year run, and it shows no signs of stopping. Unfortunately, with so many greats appearing on the show at one time, talent can often get overlooked. The latest cast member slipping through the cracks, in my humble opinion, is Marcello Hernández. At least, that was the case until this week's episode featuring Bad Bunny and, after that, I'm more sure than ever that he needs to be a full time cast member.
Marcello Hernández joined SNL's Season 48 cast as a featured player. For those not familiar with how the show works, there are two tiers when it comes to cast members. “Repertory players” are veteran cast members who have been on for several seasons, while “featured players” are newcomers. And as of Season 26, a lot of members must spend at least two seasons in this role before being promoted. Not all “featured players” get promoted after two seasons, but Hernández definitely should be one of them. Let's talk about the reasons why.
Marcello Is An All-Around Hilarious Comedian
While the Miami-born comedian got his start in stand-up, he's proven himself to be a great comic in all areas of the trade. He’s quick on his feet with the jokes (as proven by his hilarious Weekend Update introduction last season), has tremendous chemistry with everyone he works with and is pretty great when it comes to physical comedy, too.
He showed off that last skill this past week in a telenovela-inspired sketch opposite Bad Bunny and Mick Jagger. In the sketch, the rapper and Marcello Hernández played two nemeses who got into a hilarious shouting match that spiraled until the SNL star was fake-slapped several times. The bit kept going for a little while and, with every hit, Hernández played up the slapping with a new degree of hilarity that had the audience roaring with laughter.
He’s A Talented Writer
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Not only is the rising star a hilarious comedian, but he’s also a talented comedy writer, who recently penned an iconic sketch for Pedro Pascal that helped land the actor an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy nomination. The sketch is the hilarious “overprotective mother” one that premiered during Pascal’s Mario Kart-laden episode and was resurrected this week, with Bad Bunny playing the overprotective Tía of Marcello Hernández’s character.
Both sketches involves the main character introducing his new girlfriend to his family with varying degrees of success, given the young lady isn’t Latina. With rapid-fire Spanish digs, hilarious callouts to Latinx culture, and heartwarming conclusions, the skits are hits and hopefully keep getting utilized.
While appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers earlier this month, Marcello Hernández explained how the sketch came to be. When Pedro Pascal was booked to appear as host, he was adamant about wanting to do a sketch that featured Spanish. As the only cast member who could write in the language, Hernández was the clear choice to bring the sketch to life and, fortunately, it delivered. What’s even better is that Pascal’s character is inspired by the young comedian’s own mom.
It’s Time He Gets The Recognition He Deserves In All Types Of Sketches
As the only Latinx member of the cast, Marcello Hernández does seem to consistently play roles that require him to speak Spanish or play characters with strong accents. But he’s more than just a representation of his culture; he’s a talented comedian who can clearly shine as any character so long as he gets the chance to do so. Don’t get me wrong, his Latinx-centered sketches are iconic, and he always nails them, but I’d hate to see him typecast.
If SNL is serious about diversifying its cast as it seems to be, it’ll quickly realize how valuable this young man and that he can contribute material that's not just related to his ethnicity. After all, isn’t that what true diversity and representation are about?
If you missed this week’s hilarious episode, it's streaming for anyone with a Peacock subscription, or head over to the official Saturday Night Live YouTube page to check out some of the sketches. Don’t forget to tune in on October 28th when comedian Nate Bargatze hosts with musical guests Foo Fighters. You can also read up on other SNL Season 49 hosts and musical guests that are coming up.
