Robert Downey Jr talks about stint on ‘Saturday Night Live’, says learnt ‘what I wasn’t’

WASHINGTON: Academy Award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. recalled his brief stint on ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) in the new four-part docuseries ‘SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night”, which revolves around the history and legacy of the late-night sketch show.

Downey was a cast member on season 11 of the show, which ran from 1985 to 1986. The actor, who was just 20 years old at the time shared what he learned during his stint and said that it helped him better understand his lane as a performer, reported People. “I learned so much in that year about what I wasn’t. But there’s not a more exciting 90 minutes you could have, whether you are any good or not”, he said.

The ‘Oppenheimer’ actor also added that he got an opportunity to be part of the iconic sketch series because of his friend Anthony Michael Hall, who was also cast in the 1985-1986 season. “Michael Hall said to me, ‘I’m gonna go do SNL. I’m gonna get you an audition and I bet you’re gonna get yourself on the show too’, ” Downey recalled.

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Hall, who also appears in the docuseries and was the youngest cast member ever hired on the show at just 17 years old recounted his own challenging experience working on the comedy juggernaut, reported People. “When I look back, I have some memories of it being difficult,” he said. “I think for a lot of the writers to figure out how to write for this kid, I think it was a big challenge”, he shared.

Season 11 featured a number of other now-well-known performers, including Joan Cusack, Damon Wayans, Randy Quaid, Jon Lovitz and Al Franken. However, the season is widely considered one of the show’s weakest by SNL fans and critics, and many of the cast members were replaced by season 12, according to People. (ANI)