See the Saturday Night Movie Cast vs. the Real-Life 1975 SNL Cast

Ensemble casts are back, baby! Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night tracks the ninety minutes leading up to the first episode of Saturday Night Live, and it includes more than thirty characters. I haven’t seen a cast this big since Barbie—and honestly, I was too distracted by Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House to keep track.

Not again! This time, I’m locked in. No one’s getting past me, and I’m here to grant you the same good fortune. For our sanity (and yours), we’re focusing on the twelve most important players. Below, you’ll find a cast guide for Saturday Night. Consider it a cheat sheet. The movie premieres today, October 11, but don’t fret—there’s still time to study. If not, you’ll risk whispering, Who’s that?!? every ten seconds. Saturday Night is under two hours long, and the plot moves more quickly than Lorne Michaels’s problem-solving skills. Don’t believe me? Skip right ahead to our Saturday Night postgame guide. But enough yapping. Here’s your guide to who’s who in Saturday Night.

Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels

Gabriel LaBelle.

Lorne Michaels.

Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans) stars as Lorne Michaels, the creator of SNL. Michaels pitched the series without a pilot, meaning the first episode was essentially a test run. No one at NBC knew what to expect, but somehow it was a hit. The show’s first episode premiered in 1975—and it’s been on the air for nearly fifty years. (P.S. Read our interview with LaBelle, who crushes it in the film.)

Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd

Dylan O’Brien.

Dan Aykroyd (left).

Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf, Ponyboi) plays comedian Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd was one of the seven original cast members and got his start performing with Second City in Canada. Do yourself a favor and check out our recent interview with Aykroyd himself.

Matt Wood as John Belushi

Matt Wood.

John Belushi.

Matt Wood (Instinct) bears a shocking resemblance to his character, John Belushi, who is another original cast member. Belushi came to SNL from Chicago’s Second City. His famous bumblebee bit is referenced (somewhat hilariously) in Saturday Night.

Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase

Cory Michael Smith.

Chevy Chase.

Cory Michael Smith (Gotham) plays Chevy Chase. NBC reports that Michaels recruited Chase after seeing his comedy chops in The Groove Tube. He was hired to write sketches and was then asked to perform. Fun fact: He’s the first person ever to say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner

Ella Hunt.

Gilda Radner.

Ella Hunt (Dickinson) stars as Gilda Radner, the first comedian cast on SNL. Michaels was a fan of her work with the Second City Improv Center in Canada. He once told The New York Times that Hunt had a “remarkable quality to her.” His instincts paid off. Radner is best known for her characters Roseanna Roseannadanna and Lisa Loopner. In 1978, she won an Emmy for her contributions to the show.

Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris

Lamorne Morris.

Garrett Morris (right).

We know you’re wondering, but no, they’re not related. Lamorne Morris (New Girl) plays Garrett Morris, the first Black cast member on SNL. Prior to the sketch show, he was an accomplished singer who trained at Juilliard.

Kim Matula as Jane Curtin

Kim Matula.

Jane Curtin (right).

Kim Matula (Checkin’ It Twice) plays Jane Curtin, the first female host of "Weekend Update." Curtin was part of the original SNL cast and remained on the show for five seasons. If you’re a fan of the movie Coneheads, you can go ahead and thank her for that. Her alien sketches inspired the film.

Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman

Emily Fairn.

Laraine Newman (right).

Emily Fairn (Elicit) is Laraine Newman in Saturday Night. Before starring on SNL, Newman founded the Groundlings comedy troupe in Los Angeles. Newman was also a cast member for five years before exploring other endeavors. She eventually passed her comedy genes to her daughter Hannah Einbinder, who stars on the Emmy award-winning comedy Hacks.

Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol

Cooper Hoffman.

Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) plays Dick Ebersol, an NBC producer. He helped launch SNL and—in the show’s later seasons—worked with Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal.

J. K. Simmons as Milton Berle

J.K. Simmons.

Milton Berle.

J.K Simmons (Whiplash) is comedian Milton Berle in Saturday Night. Berle didn’t host an episode until season 4 of SNL, but he left his mark long before then. You know exactly what we’re talking about—and you can read more on that here.

Willem Dafoe as David Tebet

Willem Dafoe.

David Tebet.

Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) plays NBC executive David Tebet. When SNL premiered, Tebet was the VP of talent relations—in other words, a fancy man for Michaels to impress.

Tommy Dewey as Michael O’Donoghue

Tommy Dewey.

Michael O’Donoghue.

Last but certainly not least, Tommy Dewey (Your Monster) plays Michael O’Donoghue, the very first head writer of SNL. We can thank him for making audiences laugh hard enough to warrant another season.