Steve Buscemi Rewrote His ‘SNL’ Monologue So People Would Know Who He Was

Even though he was indie movie royalty in the 1990s, Steve Buscemi was shocked to get the tap on the shoulder from Lorne Michaels and Saturday Night Live. “I was surprised that I got the call for it because I didn’t think I had really done enough to warrant me being (host), like that people would even know me,” Buscemi told David Spade and Dana Carvey on the Fly on the Wall podcast. “But John Turturro was also on that year, and I thought, ‘Oh, is this the year that they’re going after independent film actors or something?’ And I was so thrilled to get it.”

The thrill dissipated when Buscemi got a load of what SNL writers had planned for his opening bit. “It was some monologue about my name Steve, and you know, it just wasn’t me,” he said. “And I was nervous about that.” Other first-time hosts would probably do their best to execute what the professional comedy writers had in mind. But Buscemi had other ideas.

“I sort of addressed that,” he said, pitching an alternate idea about taking suggestions from the audience and performing an improv with cast members Will Ferrell, Ana Gasteyer and Tim Meadows. “And then I would just insert scenes from movies that I was in. Part of the ulterior motive was to remind people I was in Fargo or Reservoir Dogs,” he confessed, nervous that people would be wondering who the hell this guy was. “I was glad that they changed that. I was very shy to say, ‘Do I have to do this opening monologue?’”  

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Michaels was receptive to Buscemi’s concerns and alt pitches, “but that first time you host, it’s just so mind-boggling,” he says. “I was so anxious, and I didn’t know if I was allowed to say anything or contribute, even though they were asking me, ‘Is there anything that you’d like to do? Do you have any special talents? Can you sing?’” That opened the door for suggestions, but Buscemi was still haunted by thoughts of “What do I know? You’re the experts.”

Carvey wanted to know if Michaels helped calm Buscemi down or if he tried to impose his comedy will. “He’s kind of both,” Buscemi replied. “He’s very intimidating and comforting at the same. Because he’s so calm, (but) it’s, ‘No, this is what we do, and you'll be fine.’ It’s like, ‘Okay, I’ll believe you.’”

Even though Buscemi got his way, that didn’t mean his monologue anxiety was over. “During the dress rehearsal, I came out to do the monologue, and I spotted a friend of mine from high school sitting in the front row,” he told Spade and Carvey. “I looked at him, and I was like, ‘Hey, it’s Eddie!’ And I was like, ‘Ah, fuck. I don’t know what to do now!’” 

“That throws you off,” Spade sympathized. “One take. That’s the hard part.” 

“Thank God it was the dress rehearsal,” Buscemi said. “For the show, I just told myself, ‘Don’t look at anybody. Just avoid eye contact.’”  

And tell Eddie from high school to stay home.