Saturday Night Livehas been an incubator for comedy film talent since the 1970s — producing names likeMurray, Chase, Aykroyd, Radner, Belushi, and Martin— who have gone on to the world’s most famous comedy careers on the big screen. OtherSNLcast members haven’t fared so well — despite at least a modicum of talent for feature films. Often, an early stumble in their transition fromSNLto the screen has stunted the growth ofSNLalums' movie careers.
Once-marquee names like Oteri, Lovitz, and Fallon have fallen by the wayside when it’s come time to appear on celluloid. Some, like Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, were lucky enough to beushered into late night careersby the powerful Lorne Michaels. Others have rarely been heard from again. The following are 16SNLcast members who never quite materialized as film stars.
16Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oterirose to fame during the Will Ferrell Era ofSNLin the late-’90s, joining Ferrell in the recurrent Spartan Cheerleaders sketches, as well as co-hosting theRegis and Kathy Lee-likeMorning Latte.Her parody of Barbara Walters made her a big ’90s TV star, replete with plenty of daytime television appearances — but when it came to her film career, Oteri suffered a certain amount of failure to launch.
Early Movie Promise Led to a Later Career Downturn
Oteri landed some high-profile supporting comedy roles while still a member of theSNLcast, including inLiar LiarandAustin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Still, Oteri never managed to star in her own comedy franchise, possibly owing to none of herSNLcharacters getting theirown movie consideration from Lorne Michaels.
15Julia Sweeney
Nothing signifies the changes in comedically-acceptable material quite likeIt’s Pat, the recurrentSNLsketch starringJulia Sweeneyas Pat,whose gender ambiguity drives all the sketch’s jokes. Hindsight being 20/20, Sweeney has remarked more recently that “There’s no better way to work through your past than through art,” which she did by revisiting the character in the Showtime comedyWork in Progress.
How Pat Made Sweeney Famous, but Also May Have Derailed Her Film Career
When Lorne Michaels attempted an adaptation ofIt’s Patfor the big screen, the results were disastrous. The film only made 60 racks, and Sweeney’s film prospects were almost immediately dashed — even after her awesome cameo inPulp Fiction. Sweeney got the last laugh in her late-career monologues — like the hilariously namedJulia Sweeney: Older and Wider.
14Joe Piscopo
Joe Piscopowent from doing the funniest Frank Sinatra impression in showbiz, to flexing his steroid-enlarged, veiny biceps on life-sized posters at the General Nutrition Center. Yup, when Piscopo’s film career didn’t really take off, he turned to promotional avenues,using his passion for bodybuildingas his spokesman superpower. If it seems incongruous for a formerSNLcast member to become a bodybuilder — that’s because it is.
Piscopo Never Quite Took Off on Film
Despite some hilarious appearances inJohnny DangerouslyandWise Guys, Piscopo never really made it past playing thuggish characters in supporting roles. Never, that is, except the buddy cop/zombie movieDead Heat, opposite the recently departed Treat Williams, no less! At its current 11% Rotten Tomatoes critical score, it’s not hard to see why that movie may have signaled the end of Piscopo’s film career.
13Colin Quinn
The King of New York City Irish funnymen,Colin Quinnworked the city’s stand-up clubs along withSNLcompatriots like Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in the ’80s before being added toSNL’s cast during the show’s big, 1995 cast changeover. Quinn was something of a monologist, himself, leading to him slotting intoWeekend Updateas anchor after Norm Macdonald was fired,allegedly for his unrelenting jabs at O.J. Simpson. Quinn helmedWeekend Updatefor four seasons.
Thanks to his proximity to the Adam Sandler Universe, Quinn has proven able to string together film roles in Sandler films likeGrown Ups 2andThat’s My Boy. Above all, Quinn’s had a standout career in television — seemingly pushing film aspirations to the back-burner.
Related:Spaceman: Plot, Cast, and Everything Else We Know
12Victoria Jackson
Victoria Jacksonhad an eight-seasonSNLcareer, that coincided with some oftoday’s biggest comedy stars, like Adam Sandlerand Chris Rock. She made a name for herself on the show with her impressions of Roseanne Barr, Sally Struthers, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Jackson had some small roles in comedies likeUHFandThe Pick-Up Artist, but the films she appeared in rarely fared well.
Reasons Why Victoria Jackson Didn’t Have a Bigger Career
Jackson alienated some Hollywood folks when she became a card-carrying conservative and Tea Party member later in her career, and never quite had the acting chops or a go-to original character to develop into her own Lorne Michaels franchise. She still occasionally finds her way into films nowadays, but it’s rare.
11Tim Meadows
Nobody is denying thatTim Meadowshas had a very successful career, 40 years on from joiningSNLcast-mate Chris Farley atChicago’s improv-Mecca, Second City, before becoming one ofSNL’s longest-tenured cast members. Still, Meadows never climbed too far up the call sheet in his film appearances, save for Lorne Michaels' attempt to makeThe Ladies Maninto a franchise likeWayne’s World. The film bombed, and so too did some of Meadows early promise as a film actor.
Despite missing his window for movie stardom in the ’90s, Meadows has used hisSNL-alum status to great effect, acting in many a Happy Madison production and both incarnations ofMean Girls. His TV career has fared even better, thanks to regular roles inThe Goldbergs,Space Force,BoJack Horseman, andThe Mandalorian.
10Horatio Sanz
Horatio Sanzlife and career essentially went into free-fall after early-career success onSNL. AnotherSNLalum who came through the minor league affiliate Second City, the Chilean-born actor never got a major Lorne Michaels-produced film, as theSNLcreator was moving away from producing films when Sanz was transitioning off the show.
Sexual Assault Allegations May Have Closed the Window on a Big Comedy Career for Sanz
Despitesettling with his accuser and NBC having its share of the lawsuit dismissed, Sanz’s public image hasn’t quite recovered, though he still lands occasional comedy roles. Time will tell whether he creeps back into regular supporting roles in comedy.
9Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratchleft the limelight on her own schedule, as she prioritized motherhood over continuing to pursue a career as a star when she started a family in her mid-40s. She has still amassed countless guest performances on television since herSNLdays, despite never getting a film fashioned around her famous characters — nameably Debbie Downer.
Dratch Remains Better-Known for Her Face Than Her Name
Despite a ton ofappearances in TV and film over the years, Dratch is still approached by fans mainly for Debbie Downer. She’s supplanted a prolific career with voice roles in major films likeSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
8Chris Kattan
Chris Kattanmay be the most-famousSNLcast member to never truly become a movie star (though fans ofNight at the Roxburymight disagree). Despite his Groundlings pedigree and several ofSNL’s most-endearing late-’90s characters, Kattan didn’t evenapproach the level of fame ofNight at the Roxburyco-star Will Ferrell.
Why Kattan Didn’t Translate to the Big Screen
Kattan has padded his career with plenty of voice acting roles and silly appearances in franchises likeSharknado, but the fact is, he never had a real starring role afterRoxbury. Given his late-’90s promise, he may have hired a wrong talent agent… or two.
7Jim Breuer
Jim Breuerhad some hilarious roles in smallcomedy films in the late-’90s likeHalf-Baked, but his chance at stardom proved elusive by the turn-of-the-century. Breuer continued to put out sidesplitting stand-up specials, made hilarious appearances onThe Howard Stern Show, and got occasional film roles — but he never quite broke.
Breuer May Have Been Too Weird for Mainstream Stardom
It seems like all of Breuer’s talents as a showman were antithetical to stardom, as he always seemed better in zany supporting roles. Certain comics simply don’t translate to leading roles in films the way others do, and Breuer did well to act within his realm.
Related:Bruce Almighty Might Have Starred Jim Breuer if Jim Carrey Wasn’t Interested
