Comedian and actor Steve Martin declined an offer to play Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
Martin was among the first names mentioned to impersonate Walz when Kamala Harris announced her running mate.
“I just learned that Tim Walz wants to go on the road with Marty Short,” Martin posted on Threads.
Despite the humor, Martin won’t play the Minnesota governor.
Martin declined ‘Saturday Night Live’ producer Lorne Michaels’ offer for the gig.
“I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin told the Los Angeles Times.
“I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.’ I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses,” he added.
Steve Martin won’t be joining ‘SNL’ this season to play Tim Walz: “I’m not an impressionist” https://t.co/HVEX8eWoPg pic.twitter.com/IpiNr6Uu3F
— Decider (@decider) August 9, 2024
Steve Martin Explains Why He Turned Down Gig To Play Tim Walz On ‘Saturday Night Live’ https://t.co/dr4XQok3za pic.twitter.com/LZpD1qwpbf
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) August 9, 2024
From the Los Angeles Times:
Maya Rudolph will be reprising her portrayal of Harris, whom she first played on “SNL” in 2019 during the Democratic presidential primaries and, later, when Harris was named Joe Biden’s running mate. (Jim Carrey portrayed Biden.) Per Deadline, Rudolph moved production of the third season of her Apple TV+ series “Loot” to January from August in order to play Harris through this year’s election cycle.
Martin, who will turn 79 next week, wasn’t willing to entertain that kind of commitment.
“It’s ongoing,” Martin says. “It’s not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again. Again, they need a real impressionist to do that. They’re gonna find somebody really, really good. I’d be struggling.”
WATCH:
Steve Martin is weighing in on the requests for him to play Tim Walz on #SNL #THRNews pic.twitter.com/98JTwxvGhW
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 7, 2024
The Daily Wire reports:
The new season of “Saturday Night Live” is scheduled to premiere on September 28.
Walz has been scrutinized since he was announced as Harris’ VP pick on Tuesday. The Minnesota Democrat has come under fire for his leftist policies on abortion, being an advocate for gender surgeries for minors, and regulations he implemented in his state during the COVID pandemic. Walz was also instrumental in allowing rioters to wreak havoc in Minneapolis in 2020 following the death of George Floyd.
The most recent scandal making headlines has to do with stolen valor, as critics accuse Walz of exaggerating his military service for years.
