Mike Myers, the iconic star of “Austin Powers,” recently opened up about his past struggles with cut sketches during his time on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). He looked back to how frequently he plummeted into despondence each time his drawings were axed. One conversation with comedic legend and former Late Night host Conan O’Brien changed everything.
In a postmortem interview, Myers expressed concern that his old sensibilities about cut content surfaced during mine. He stated, “When I was younger as a writer, I used to have a different feeling” about the fate of his sketches. The fear of these works being rejected created great stress and anxiety which manifested in nervousness and melancholy.
Myers told a great story on Lorne Michaels, creator and executive producer of SNL. He continually asked difficult questions about how to make a sketch feasible, further amplifying Myers’ anxiety. I watched artists fight for their DRAW chances,” he mentioned. He continued that he had a lot of meltdowns himself when his own drawings were slaughtered from the run through.
One defining talk with O’Brien made all the difference for Myers. During their discussion, O’Brien reassured him, saying, “Perfect. It’s all going perfectly to plan.” This no-frills affirmation made it possible for Myers to reevaluate his method of going right to cut sketches.
“Myers realized that while it is competitive and disheartening to see one’s work cut, it is ultimately part of the creative process,” said Hernández, a fellow comedian who worked with Myers. “There’s a sports thing about it. I can only smile and wave with delight when this happens. You’re competitive, and you get mad.”
Myers gets goosebumps nowadays whenever a sketch gets on the show. In the previous years, he’d gotten pretty demoralized by the ones that didn’t get selected. He’s learned that the emotional toll of daily fighting for a sketch is not worth it. A lot of the times those sketches are actually getting cut in the table read to begin with.
As SNL concluded its 50th season on May 17, Myers reflected on his journey since he first appeared on the show on September 28, 1991, performing the beloved “Wayne’s World” skit. He joined initially as a writer who had been personally traumatized by cut sketches. Today, he leans into the creative process, the highs and the lows, reflecting an artistic resilience that only comes with age.
