‘SNL’ Creator Lorne Michaels Shows No Sign of Retiring in New Doc
The documentary Lorne opens a window on the life of Lorne Michaels. The film arrives from Focus Features and plays in theaters this week. Michaels, who launched Saturday Night Live in 1975, is 81 years old.
The new doc makes clear the SNL creator Lorne Michaels has no plans to step away. In one scene, he tells friend Steve Martin he cannot retire. Michaels says he must protect the show.
Access and filmmaking
Director Morgan Neville filmed inside Studio 8H at 30 Rock. Cameras followed multiple production weeks. The crew captured pitch meetings, writing nights, table reads and dress rehearsals.
Neville interviewed more than 50 people close to Michaels. The film is narrated by Chris Parnell. Neville has previously directed documentaries on Fred Rogers, Paul McCartney and Anthony Bourdain.
Voices in the film
- Tina Fey
- Bill Hader
- Andy Samberg
- Conan O’Brien
- Michael Che
- Colin Jost
- Howard Shore, SNL’s first music director
- Rosie Shuster, early writer and Michaels’ first wife
Howard Shore met Michaels at summer camp when they were 14. Rosie Shuster met him in high school. Their long ties illustrate Michaels’ deep roots in comedy.
Management style and routines
The film traces Michaels’ idiosyncratic habits. No meeting starts before 4 p.m. Popcorn is always nearby. He prefers to be the unseen operator.
Neville says Michaels likes retaining leverage to protect the program. He worries that opening the door to retirement would invite challengers. The director shows how Michaels organizes his life to handle the show’s chaos.
Offstage, Michaels keeps strict routines. He starts many mornings with neighbor Paul Simon. He dines with each week’s host at the same Italian restaurant on Tuesdays. He retreats to a house in Maine between production blocks.
Premieres and reaction
The movie premiered in New York on April 9 at Alice Tully Hall. Current cast members attended, along with Anna Wintour and David Letterman. Michaels watched the film there for the first time and later said he liked it.
The Los Angeles premiere took place at the Universal Studios lot in the Steven Spielberg Theater. A Q&A included Donna Langley, NBCUniversal’s chair. Guests included David Geffen, Kris Jenner, John Mulaney, Jon Hamm, Owen Wilson and Seth Rogen.
SNL alums at the event included Laraine Newman, Kyle Mooney and Vanessa Bayer. Steven Spielberg also attended. John Mulaney joked about succession and who might run the show someday.
Takeaway
“Lorne” profiles a demanding creative life. It portrays Michaels as hands-on and protective of his legacy. The film is not framed as a farewell.
Focus Features released the documentary. Focus is part of NBCUniversal, which also owns NBC and NBC News. The movie offers a close look at how one producer has guided a cultural institution for nearly five decades.
