Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL: Tina Fey on 30 Rock's Jack & Liz Being Like Fey & Lorne Michaels

SNL alum Tina Fey on how her dynamic with Lorne Michaels influenced Fey's Liz Lemon and Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy on NBC's 30 Rock.

30 Rock creator Tina Fey wasn't exactly sugarcoating how much her character, creator-writer Liz Lemon, and Alec Baldwin's NBC executive Jack Donaghy are based on her own relationship with SNL mastermind Lorne Michaels during her time on the weekly NBC late-night series. The NBC sitcom follows the misadventures of its series, TGS, in a tongue-in-cheek look behind the scenes, featuring colorful characters from the cast and crew. Fey was among several featured in the Morgan Neville documentary Lorne about the Saturday Night Live creator, writer, and producer, who's still going on strong since the series' debut in 1975, even weathering his departure in 1980 before returning in 1985.

SNL: Tina Fey on Her Time with Lorne Michaels Influencing 30 Rock

Fey revealed in the documentary (via Entertainment Weekly) how much she would turn to Michaels, who was a producer on 30 Rock, for advice, "So much of that 30 Rock time was really, I think, when I would call him and say like, 'What do I do about this? How do I handle the network and this?'" she said. "If I look at 30 Rock now, I feel like I'm talking to him every day, and I'm talking about him through that show. The Jack-Liz relationship is in many ways like a huge thank you note to Lorne, probably."

Baldwin has hosted multiple times and made the occasional guest appearance, including reprising his 30 Rock role for season 41 episode hosted by series co-star and SNL alum Tracy Morgan, who played Tracy Jordan on the series. Baldwin also played a recurring role as President Donald Trump from seasons 42 to 46.

Fey initially joined SNL as a writer in 1997, then joined the cast from 2000 to 2006. As a cast member, she became part of the series' Weekend Update segment, hosting alongside Jimmy Fallon and Amy Poehler. The actress became so synonymous with the variety series that, in addition to being part of the cast, she's also part of the Five-Timers Club as host and SNL UK's inaugural host on March 26th. Focus Features Lorne, which also features Chris Rock, Conan O'Brien, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Fallon, Seth Meyers, Kristen Wiig, Mike Myers, and Paul Simon, is available in theaters.

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