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Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl
SNL Should Have Retired Bush Impression After Will Ferrell: Forte
Will Forte reflects on his George W. Bush during his run on SNL and explains why the impression should have ended after Will Ferrell.
Article Summary
- Will Forte reflects on inheriting the George W. Bush impression after Will Ferrell on SNL
- Forte admits he struggled with impersonations and never felt his Bush matched Ferrell's iconic take
- He believes SNL should have retired the George W. Bush role after Ferrell's departure
- Forte discusses the pressure of standing out in SNL's large cast and the challenges of political satire
In what probably amounted to more wishful thinking on Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte's part, but he had the unenviable task of following up one of the weekly late-night series' most enduring presidential impersonations in Will Ferrell's George W. Bush after he left after season 27 in 2002 to greener pastures on the big screen. No one could blame him, especially if he wasn't comfortable doing it, as he revealed to fellow SNL alum Amy Poehler on her podcast Good Hang. It may also, in part, explain Lorne Michaels' decision to have surprise recurring casting on certain political figures like Donald Trump, who's been portrayed by several cast members through several decades from the likes of the late Phil Hartman, former cast member-turned-announcer Darrell Hammond; recurring host and guest Alec Baldwin; and currently by James Austin Johnson.
SNL: Will Forte on His "George W. Bush" Regrets
Forte joined the cast in 2002 in season 28, admitting that he started to "relax" around his seventh season, leaving at the end of season 35 in 2010, with cameos the next couple of seasons. "It was a huge cast. It was, like, 17 people, you're trying to stand out, you're trying to get noticed, and somehow I got the George Bush role," The Great North star said about his run as the 43rd US President, before admitting, "…I don't do impersonations. It was not a match made in heaven."
The impression became such a signature character that Forte likened the notion that stepping into his shoes would be like if someone else tried to play a certain Dana Carvey role. "Will Ferrell was George Bush! He was George W. Bush. Anybody replacing — it's like trying to replace the Church Lady. Trying to have somebody else do that… he made it such his own thing. They should have just retired it," he said.
For more, including Forte's realization that lampooning the sitting president comes with the job, you can check out the entire interview.
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