As the 2024 Presidential Election in the United States continues to heat up, Saturday Night Live hopes to book top-tier talent to portray candidates on both sides of the aisle. The long-running sketch comedy showcase already has Maya Rudolph returning to represent the current Vice President and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, and now wants Steve Martin to come aboard as Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz. While it wouldn’t take much to transform Martin into Walz for a series of guest spots leading up to the election, the Only Murders in the Building actor isn’t interested in returning to his old stomping grounds.
The call for Steve Martin to play Tim Walz began online, with scores of users calling for the banjo-wielding comedian to join the Saturday Night Live cast for a series of sketches focusing on the fraught race. Seeing the demand, Lorne Michaels phoned Martin to see if he’d be down for the gig, but Martin rejected the offer. “I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin told the Los Angeles Times. “I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.’ I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses.”
While Martin is not a former Saturday Night Live cast member, he’s hosted the program 16 times since 1976. “It’s ongoing,” Martin said. “It’s not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again. Again, they need a real impressionist to do that. They’re gonna find somebody really, really good. I’d be struggling.”
Martin remains committed to the Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building, which he shares with his co-stars Martin Short and Selena Gomez. The whodunit-style murder mystery comedy series heads into its fourth season on Hulu on August 27, with Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) heading to Los Angeles, where a Hollywood studio turning their hit podcast into a film. The new season welcomes fresh faces to the cast, including Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, Melissa McCarthy, Kumail Nanjiani, and Richard Kind. Eva Longoria and Molly Shannon also star in Season 4.
Who should play Tim Walz for upcoming episodes of Saturday Night Live? Let’s see your suggestions in the comments section below. Saturday Night Live returns to NBC on September 28.
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