Who Will Play Tim Walz and JD Vance on SNL? : NPR

Now that Tim Walz has been named the Democratic vice presidential nominee, it’s time to address the most pressing question left in media and politics: Who will play the joke-magnet former schoolteacher turned governor turned dad? Saturday night live?

One favorite is already out: comedian Steve Martin said The Los Angeles Times He turned down SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels’ offer to play the governor of Minnesota, a bald, white-haired guy with a broad smile.

“I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impressionist,'” Martin said Times columnist Glenn Whipp. “You need someone who can really nail the man.” I was chosen because I have gray hair and glasses.”

Fans had been circulating photos of Martin online with SNL alum Maya Rudolph, adding to rumors that she may reprise her role as Vice President Harris, this time as the Democratic presidential candidate, when the show returns with new episodes this fall.

Why this discussion is important

The excitement over Martin reminded me of the moment Sarah Palin was nominated as the vice presidential candidate in 2008, prompting a lot of comedy nerds to send emails around noting how much Palin looked like another SNL alumna, Tina Fey.

Fey’s impression of Palin ended up dominating pop culture so much that people believed the politician, then governor of Alaska, had actually said, “I can see Russia from my house,” a line Fey actually dropped during SNLThe first season aired in September 2008.

The images of Gerald Ford as a bumbling idiot, of George H. W. Bush as a patrician so stiff his words sounded like jargon, and of Al Gore as a stuffy know-it-all obsessed with the word “safe deposit box” all come from devastating images. SNL parodies. So who plays Walz—and how—might influence how history remembers him more than anything he actually does.

(The same goes for GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, whose selection hasn’t inspired the same level of SNL online fancasting).

I sympathize with the purists who insist that one of the series’ cast members should get the chance to play new characters like Walz or Vance, just as James Austin Johnson electrified viewers with his stunning portrayal of former President Donald Trump.

But Michaels discovered long ago that celebrity stunt casting brings attention and ratings. Even if they don’t really bother imitating the people they play, like Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller (Robert Mueller and Michael Cohen, respectively).

So here’s my short list of the remaining people Michaels should consider for the role of Walz, along with a couple of recommendations for Vance. Because teaching ourselves to laugh at these people might help us understand them, or at least learn to tolerate them.

Jim Gaffigan

PROS: He’s a brilliant stand-up comedian with multiple Grammy nominations and specials that have aired or are about to air on Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu. He hails from the Midwest, raised in Indiana, championed by fellow Hoosier David Letterman, with bits centered on being a father of five, married to a wife so devout he calls her a “Shia Catholic.” He has a stocky build and thinning blond hair, along with acting chops from a slew of TV and film credits, including TV Land’s The Jim Gaffigan Show, Law and order and, most recently, the Netflix film by friend Jerry Seinfeld Not glazed.

AGAINST: He doesn’t seem to agree with SNL crew; despite a long career in comedy, he never hosted the show.

Tracy Letts

PROS: A consummate actor and playwright who has won Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, he is best known for his self-described specialty of playing “assholes in suits” in films and TV shows such as Ford vs Ferrari, Lady Bird AND Winning time.

AGAINST: Although he had early roles in sitcoms like Seinfeld AND The Drew Carey ShowHe is not particularly known for his comedy.

Melissa McCarthy

PROS: Listen to me. She’s a brilliant comedian with a long history of guest starring on the show. And she gave a hilarious performance as former Trump spokesman Sean Spicer, who perfectly captured his brainless bluster.

AGAINST: Despite his Big Dad energy, Walz is such a masculine guy – hunter, ex-football coach, ex-military man – that, as much fun as it might be to watch McCarthy try, SNL she might just want a boy for that role.

Will Ferrell

PROS: A master of improvisation and sketch comedy, he is a former Saturday Night Live actor who has played everyone from George W. Bush to former Attorney General Janet Reno.

AGAINST: His eccentric energy is a bit too strong to play a man perceived as America’s goofy father figure.

The Ghost of Chris Farley

PROS: THE SNL The star had a larger-than-life exuberance, messy blonde hair and a flair for self-deprecation that seemed like a caricatured version of Walz’s style, perfect for a parody sketch.

AGAINST: Just another reminder of what the comedy world lost in 1997, when he died of a drug overdose at age 33. (Although his younger brother, comedian and actor Kevin Farley, could also be a worthy contender.)

Jason Sudeikis — as Walz and/or Vance

PROS: A former showrunner, he gets by with sketch comedy and political impersonations: he’s played Joe Biden and Mitt Romney at different times. He also has a knack for corny, dad humor, as evidenced by his stint playing the fictional, earnest coach in Ted Lasso. Anyone who remembers his work as one half of a self-centered yuppie couple in the “Two A-holes” sketches (with another SNL Ace Kristen Wiig also knows she has a natural talent for playing snooty, arrogant white men.

AGAINST: He doesn’t look much like Walz, frankly he’s a little too skinny and attractive. And his success as Vance may be directly proportional to the quality of the fake beard and toupee they can stick on him.

My top pick for Vance: Zach Galifianakis

PRO:He has a full brown beard, a shock of hair and a talent for playing brainless egotists, honed on his interview parody show, Between two ferns.

AGAINST: He’ll be so good that we might forget how weird Vance is in real life.

Another great Vance: Jon Hamm

PROS: An exceptional dramatic actor whose secret weapon is a marked talent for comedy (see 30 Rock, Bridesmaids), he is also good at making the audience love difficult people (see Mad Men). His turn as a cult leader on The Indestructible Kimmy Schmidt he shows that he can make great comedies by playing extravagant and important characters. And he is also a friend of SNLhosting the show three times and making appearances in several sketches.

AGAINST: Hamm will also need a convincing wig or two to make this work. And given all the other interesting roles he’s played recently, from Fargo TO The morning show — SNL may have to work hard to keep him in the game.