Jason Reitman advised Saturday Night cast against meeting SNL counterparts

Director Jason Reitman advised his Saturday Night stars against meeting their real-life SNL counterparts.

The new comedy, which depicts the making of the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live, stars Dylan O’Brien and Cory Michael Smith as Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase as well as Gabriel LaBelle as the sketch show’s creator Lorne Michaels.

Juno director Reitman urged his cast not to reach out to the people they play – but they didn’t all listen to his advice.

“The homework was ‘don’t prep’ because at the end of the day, the idea is to capture one piece of the character,” he explained to Variety. “You can’t actually replicate a person 100% – and particularly in an ensemble this big. It’s more so, how do you get along as a group?

“When I say, ‘Don’t prepare,’ I know everyone’s already going to prepare so much. I’m just trying to get them to pull back to a certain extent.”

However, only a few of the stars heeded Reitman’s advice. Rachel Sennott went against his wishes and reached out to writer Rosie Shuster for insight, while Lamorne Morris consulted with cast member Garrett Morris.

LaBelle, who took the advice, was initially sad about not meeting Michaels. However, The Fablemans star was glad he listened to Reitman when he met the 79-year-old creator after production wrapped.

“My idea of Lorne was him in his 20s,” he shared. “It was very comforting that I didn’t have to meet him before filming and try to figure him out in the present because he’s a different man.”

Saturday Night, which is set in 1975, will be released in U.S. cinemas in October.