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‘Reacher’ Star Still Holds Record as SNL’s Youngest-Ever Cast Member
Mar
Saturday Night Live is in the midst of celebrating its 50th birthday. And while plenty about the show has changed since its very first episode, other aspects have stayed the same. Like the actor who holds the record for youngest cast member.
On a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Reacher star Anthony Michael Hall stopped by to talk about the new season of his Amazon Prime Video hit series. And to reflect on his 40-year standing as SNL’s youngest cast member.
In 1985, SNL creator Lorne Michaels returned to the late-night sketch series after a five-year absence and was determined to breathe new life into the show. So he opted to hire a handful of fairly well-known actors to fill out the cast, including Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., and Anthony Michael Hall—who was just 17 years old at the time.
Fallon shared a photo of Hall from his year on SNL, and congratulated him on the long-standing record, which prompted The Breakfast Club actor to note that “The hairspray and hair gel budget was off the charts,” the 1985-1986 season.
“Forty years ago, wow,” said Hall. “Thank you Lorne!”
When asked what his experience was like on the show, having already established himself in Hollywood as the star of movies like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science, Hall deferred to Fallon. “Well, as you guys know—better than I—it’s everything,” said Hall. “It’s rock and roll, it’s theater, everything rolled into one, man. You just have such a great time doing it. And then there’s also the doing of the show, which is incredible.”
When Fallon asked if a 17-year-old was ready for that kind of gig, Hall assured him he was. “Because I was at home a year or two before that watching Eddie [Murphy]. I was always a huge Eddie fan.” Which is appropriate given that Murphy, who was just 19 when he was hired, held the title of youngest cast member for many years.
Hall was fortunate enough to be invited back for Saturday Night Live’s recent star-studded 50th anniversary special, and felt honored to be included. “I’ve always been a fan of SNL, so it was just great to come back and salute Lorne and everybody involved,” he said. “Man, it was incredible… it was like an out-of-body experience.”
It also allowed for more than one blast-from-the-past reconnection. Hall brought along some photos from the event for Fallon to share, including one of the now 56-year-old actor posing with SNL icon Chevy Chase, who played Hall’s dad in 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation.
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