Joey Magidson
Like I mentioned a few years ago when I spoke to him here for The Outfit, Dylan O’Brien will always have a special place in my heart, for a pretty unique reason. You see, one of his first films, The First Time, was actually the movie that I got my first true pull quote from. A quote of mine was in the Village Voice, and ever since then, I’ve kept my eye out for his work. So, when I realized he was going to be in Saturday Night, playing Dan Aykroyd, no less, I was actually pretty pumped. Once I saw and loved the movie, I only felt stronger about that belief. I recently spoke to Gabriel LaBelle about the film here, as well as Matt Wood here (with Jason Reitman coming your way next week), but today, it’s a return engagement for O’Brien. This time around? It’s Saturday Night, of course, but we don’t forget about our beloved Jets and Mets, either.
In my rave review of Saturday Night from back at Telluride (here), I said the following about O’Brien and the ensemble:
This ensemble cast is absolutely aces. Whether they look like their real-life counterparts or not, they find the spirit of these geniuses. As our guide throughout the madness, Gabriel LaBelle is a steady hand, showing cracks but also trying to make everything work. Lorne Michaels was about to change the TV landscape forever, but in the moment, he just wants to make it to 11:30. Everyone is so good, but the standouts do include Lamorne Morris, Dylan O’Brien, Rachel Sennott, Matt Wood, and especially Cory Michael Smith. J.K. Simmons steals his few scenes as Milton Berle, unsurprisingly. The massive cast also includes Andrew Barth Feldman, Tracy Letts, Naomi McPherson, Paul Rust, and Finn Wolfhard, plus so many more. The ensemble has an energy that just goes on for 90 minutes plus without letting up.
Below, you can see my chat with O’Brien. Fellow Met fans take note, we recorded this before Juan Soto signed with the team, so my hypothetical question at the end is no longer relevant, funny as we both found it. We had spent a little bit of time together back at the Toronto International Film Festival, right as the Jets were kicking off their season, so that’s referenced as well. In terms of the flick, I asked about working with Reitman, the ensemble, and more. It’s a really laid back and fun discussion about his whole career, even though Saturday Night is the focus. If you like O’Brien, you’ll like this. As a reminder, Saturday Night is currently available to buy or rent digitally, while the Blu-ray and DVD are hitting shelves on January 7th, 2025.
Here now is my interview with Saturday Night ensemble member Dylan O’Brien. Enjoy:
Saturday Night is currently in theaters and available to watch on VOD!
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