The Presidential Reunion skit—in which former SNL cast members reprise their old Commander-in-Chief impersonations to convince Fred Armisen’s Barack Obama to push through financial reforms—is the latest video from Funny or Die to go viral. But how did the comedy site manage to wrangle so many SNL alums onto one stage at the same time? FOD founder Adam McKay takes EW.com behind the scenes:
EW: So, how’d you guys pull this off? How did you get so many SNL vets back together. It’s a first, isn’t it?
ADAM MCKAY: A lot of it was our amazing producer, Mike Farah. He just called and called people—he was an absolute beast. The thing was, you had to get everyone, or it wouldn’t work. And, you know, without naming names, some of these [former SNL] guys are Republicans. But the cause helped. Everyone felt it was so ridiculous to hesitate on financial reform. Democrat or Republican, it’s just common sense.
Who wrote it—and when did you guys shoot it?
Al Jean, a writer on The Simpsons, got the idea. We had a meeting about three weeks ago, and then I saw Jean’s first pass at a script about a week and a half ago, and then I did a rewrite. But we didn’t know we had everyone in the cast till about five or six days ago. And then we shot it in a stage in Van Nuys last Sunday. The whole thing was done for under $25,000.
What didn’t make it into the final cut? Is there any DVD-style bonus footage?
AM: There’s a ton of footage. It was very hard to cut into a little piece for the Internet. There’s a lot of great improv runs that they had. We’ll probably be putting some of it up online periodically. There’s a good one when Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush tells Obama that they’ve sent Blackwater to Kenya to find his birth certificate. Dana Carvey had a bunch of good ones, too.
Okay, which of the SNL alums are Republicans? Just give us the initials.
I can’t do it. But I’ll tell you this—they’re not Glenn Beck Republicans. We forget, a lot of people used to be Republicans. Ron Howard was a Republican. He’s not anymore, but he was. It didn’t used to be so extreme to be a Republican.
WOW that was awesome to the 100th power!
Hilarious AND relevant, something SNL is neither these days
I hope that they got Chevy Chase to do his impersonation of Gerald Ford adn Dan Akroyd to do Jimmy Carter.
They did.
half of your readers are probably Republicans, way to alienate them by talking about them like they’re diseased.
They are diseased now. It’s a shame what has become of this party.
No, Republicans aren’t a disease.. just mentally challenged
Wow, that comment wreaks of ignorance and a clear lack of intelligence–which is what Republicans are accused of being. You’re a being the very thing you loathe. Gotta love the irony.
You spelled “reeks” wrong.
Republicans are the enemy of intelligent human beings.
Well if you’re an intelligent human being, I’m sure you can come up with something a tad more scintillating than that broad, hateful statement. Better luck next time!
The Republican Party is the enemy of hard working, low income earning Americans (red states vote for Republican governors, mayors, senators, etc.. yet their cities and states have the highest rate of poverty, lack of education, lack of health care, etc)
Is that better, h6?
I’M A REPUBLICAN, SO I FIND THESE REMARKS OFFENSIVE.
I happen to believe in abortion and gay marriage, as well.
Republican means more to do with stricter values. Or at least it used to.
I bet if Republicans wouldn’t have cut education spending so much over the years, you’d know the correct way to use “scintillating” in a sentence without sounding like you just threw it in there to make yourself sound intelligent.
Elisa,
I would have to disagree with you on the democratic party. It was that way once, but not anymore.
Also, your information is wrong. A quick google search will show you that 7 of the 10 states with the highest poverty are “blue” states.
from merriam-webster:
Main Entry: scintillating
Function: adjective
Date: 1846
: brilliantly lively, stimulating, or witty
have a great day!
Yeah…You could say that it didn’t used to be so extreme to be a Democrat either.
so…gotta be careful with how you say things. Not that people should be totally PC. Just need to think things through. It’s still not necessarily extreme to consider yourself a Dem or Rep. No matter what political party we say we belong too, the description of most of us as either Asses or Big Slow Fatties isn’t based on that affiliation.
the video was pretty funny but not legendary or anything. much better than SNL stuff. Reagan probably had most of the low points funny-wise just for stupid stuff. Maya Rudolph’s First Lady and Hammond’s Clinton were the best.
“It didn’t used to be so extreme to be a Republican” – it still isn’t extreme. Comments like this are why so many people throughout this nation hate the elitist mentality and those who espouse it in Hollywood. Being Republican means being fiscally conservative and believing in a limited role of the federal government in our everyday lives. Glen Beck isn’t the only voice of my party – just the loudest at this juncture in time. Sarah Palin isn’t the choice for all in my party – just the most “exciting” and visible. Hollywood and the media need to realize that over half the nation can’t all be bigoted, ignorant people – that’s just the easy way to make them think they are morally superior to every Republican.
Interviews like this (and the encouragement of disparaging remarks by an interviewer) really hurt the credibility of EW and the majority of the media (including the entertainment industry).
Further, maybe SNL had to resort to getting old cast members to come in because they haven’t been funny or relevant in years.
That’s what I hate about these extreme Republicans, the comment above. ‘Hate the elitist mentality’ is Republican for ‘can read.’ They want to say death panels and not be corrected. Notice the IQ of what Palin calls real America. She’s the one patronizing you and you eat it up.
Sorry about my rant, I’m not usually the type. But I used to be one of those Republicans (voted Bush in 2000). Left the Party when Karl Rove raised the terrorist alert level as a direct result of Bush’s approval numbers going down. I was two blocks away when the planes hit. That tragedy made too many Republicans rich.
Well, his name is Glenn, not Glen. And I’m not offended by the “so extreme” comment at all. I think it was more of a comment regarding the GOP’s more poignant shift right than in previous times, and said nothing of the intelligence of the members of the party.
I’m an east-coast, urban Republican, which I guess is now considered more Independent by some because I don’t believe there is a “real America”, vast, widespread “elitism”, or that Hollywood is anything to be feared (I think it can be easily ignored, actually.) President Obama was born in the US, and while I don’t agree with most of his policies, he’s not whatever definition of “socialist” is being cavalierly thrown at him. While I believe in the principle ideals of the Republican party (individual rights, fiscal conservatism,) I can’t ignore the shrinking of the “big tent” that it once claimed to be.
I am an east coast Republican as well – and can not stand Glenn Beck. I will not vote for Sarah Palin in any primary or election. I am not a “birther,” don’t give a damn one way or the other about gay marriage and don’t think the President is a socialist (though he does support pretty liberal policies). With that being said, I am still a proud Republican and do not appreciate the wide spread disdain of my party throughout most of Hollywood. It has recently become a terrible sin to proclaim affiliation with the Republican Party in many urban circles, with one of the most blatant examples being the treatment of the party in Hollywood. I’m not afraid of Hollywood – just very put off by the attitude toward Republicans of most in the industry.
KG, you’re correct, half the nation can’t be “bigoted, ignorant people”, it’s just too bad that those that are representing you and your beliefs–Beck, Palin, Cheney–are exactly that (maybe not bigoted, that’s a little to harsh, but you get my point). All the average Democrat sees of the Republican party are loudmouth blowhards who’s only goal is to disagree with our President and hope he fails, regardless of the issue or the consequences of doing so. So for the Republicans who actually have beliefs and convictions, wouldn’t it be best if you had leaders who represented your best intereste instead of their own?
Jon, all the average Republican sees of the Democratic party is bigger government that takes over all it can (the banking industry, healthcare, probably the auto industry, too) while doling out money to social service programs without a care about getting those people a job so they can get off those programs (like welfare) whose only goal is to ensure continued partisan politics to further those agendas that bleed this country dry. So for Democrats who actually have beliefs and convictions, wouldn’t it be best if you had leaders who represented the best interests of the people of the United States of America instead of their own partisan agenda?
Thank you,KG. You wrote an astute and accurate comment that I certainly appreciate! I am a former Dem, because my (former) politcal party is unrecognizable to me. I am so tired of those who complain about Beck and Palin, but are mum to the antics of Keith Olberman/Rachel Maddow types who twist every issue into hate filled “us against them” nonsense and try to call it news. I am tired of being villified here on the East Coast for my moderate conservative views, and for the far too frequent implications by the Left that Republicans are too dumb to know that they SHOULD be despised, or are depicted as uneducated, bigoted, selfish morons who wrap themselves in the flag. I work in one of the three most liberal cities in America, and I defy any of my colleagues to best me in charitable giving or volunteer work. They talk the talk but do not walk the walk, and I pay for it.
It wasn’t SNL, did you not watch the video? Dana Carvery even said in the video its for Funny or Die. It just had SNL alums in it.
You’re right – its not SNL, my bad. These cast members do obviously bring to mind the arena of SNL. A little nitpicky, Shifty.
Neither funny nor persuasive.
“Glen Beck isn’t the only voice of my party – just the loudest at this juncture in time.”
well then someone else better get louder than him because he is a ridiculous person who is not doing anything posiive for the republican party. although your next statement, “Sarah Palin isn’t the choice for all in my party – just the most “exciting” and visible.” makes me feel like there is no hope for republicans.
“A little nitpicky, Shifty.” perfectly accurate and fair call on shifty’s part i would say.
There wasn’t one joke in the whole thing, and while it is portrayed in the media as a funny skit, it’s just a political ad for the democratic party.
You have no sense of humor. Most Republicans don’t laugh often.
i’m gonna guess dan akyroyd & jim carrey?
i KNOW it’s not ferrell, armisen, chase or carvey. not sure about hammond
Both Akyroyd and Carrey are Canadian. As such, likely not Republicans (unless they’ve got dual citizenship, I suppose.) Also, if they’re like any Canucks I know (and am) even the Democrats are too right wing for them. Damn socialist, freedom hating, surprisingly safe and happy Canadians.
I think Dana Carvey might be a Republican. And even if he isn’t, I’m sure he voted for Bush in ’92 (how could he not?).
I thought it was very funny, and I think the comments by Adam McKay about the participation by comedians from both parties was meant to underline that it was bi-partisan, something Washington needs to be a bit more often. The skit also made me miss Phil Hartman again.
Fun to see several SNL alumni together, but the writing/improv is not really that funny. Plus, I wish Phil Hartman was still around to play Reagan.
*sniff* We miss you Troy McClure!
Actually Glenn Beck was a Democrat most of his life and changed to Republican before the last election because of the massive changes in the Democratic party in the past 30 years. From his own admission he is more of a libertarian than anything. Although if the Tea Party ever makes the leap to a full political party, then I would say that is where he would end up.
I don’t agree with everything that Glenn Beck says, and he is as much a leader of the republican party as he is of the democratic party. For anyone that has listened to him before, you would know that he is equally unhappy with the current republican party as he is with the democratic one.