Whats the real difference between featured and full cast members on “SNL”?
There’s no big practical difference, except that Lorne [Michaels, the show’s producer and forefather] warned me that there would be shows I wouldn’t be in. It’s just not the same priority to make sure I have something to do, which has made me work hard on my writing. Writers are less likely to write for new people, and you get to cast the pieces you write, so writing is the best way to make sure you’ll be in the show. I’ve co-written the Boston scenes and the street urchin scenes I did with Tina [Fey]. Did you feel more famous as a Second City actor living in Chicago, or as a “SNL” player living in New York? I’m more anonymous in New York, but I recently had several incidents in the same day where people yelled things like “We love you!” and “You rock!” when I was out walking around with a friend. That was great, but it doesn’t happen every day. When I first joined the cast Will Ferrell said, “When I first got this job I thought I wouldn’t be able to ride the subway. I totally ride the
