SNL's 5 New Season 51 Cast Members Reflect on First Year Ahead of May 16 Finale
Updated
Updated · Variety · May 15
SNL's 5 New Season 51 Cast Members Reflect on First Year Ahead of May 16 Finale
1 articles · Updated · Variety · May 15
Summary
Five first-year "Saturday Night Live" cast members — Veronika Slowikowska, Kam Patterson, Jeremy Culhane, Tommy Brennan and Ben Marshall — gave a rare joint interview before the May 16 finale, calling Season 51 a fast, chaotic adjustment.
Season 51 brought SNL's biggest one-year intake since 2013 after departures by Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim opened room for the five newcomers.
The freshmen said the hardest shift was losing control in SNL's live, collaborative system — from table reads and cut sketches to cue-card pressure on "Weekend Update" and last-second costume or prop problems.
Their audition stories underscored that volatility: Culhane said he submitted tapes for 7 years, Slowikowska re-tested after 10 days, and Patterson said he barely expected SNL to be a real possibility.
Looking toward Season 52, the group said their immediate goals are simple: keep their jobs, get more comfortable live and develop a clearer comic voice together.