AlthoughSaturday Night Livehas always featured talented impressionists among its ever-changing cast lineup, former series star Will Forte was right to note that one iconic impersonation stands head and shoulders above the rest.Saturday Night Liveseason 50was the show’s most popular outing in three years, proving that the television institution still has plenty of life left in it. The sketch comedy series will change its lineup in the coming year, asnumerousSaturday Night Livecast members are rumoredto be leaving before season 51, but the show’s popularity proves this isn’t an issue.
Over the decades,Saturday Night Livehas been home to comedians who went on to become blockbuster movie stars like Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, and Will Forte. The latter recently spoke to fellow formerSaturday Night Livestar Amy Poehler on her podcast “Good Hang” about the unique pressures of joining the show for its 2002 season. There, he admitted that one particularly popular impression was outright impossible to equal.
Will Ferrell’s SNL George W. Bush Impression Was One That Actually Earns The Word Iconic
Will Forte Admitted That Ferrell’s Impression Was Impossible To Follow
Will Forte admitted to Amy Poehler that he couldn’t live up to Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush impression, saying “Will Ferrell was George Bush!… He was so good at it” (viaVariety). Forte joinedSaturday Night Liveimmediately after Ferrell left at the end of the show’s 2001 season after seven years on the series. The actor told Poehler it was tough to get screen time with a cast of 16 co-stars, and said that he stumbled into the role of impersonating the then-President and never felt suited to it.
Even if he had felt more suited to the role, the sheer cultural reach of Ferrell’s take on the President would have always limited Forte’s follow-up.
AlthoughFerrell leftSaturday Night Liveafter seven successful seasons to focus on his flourishing movie career, his absence was keenly felt by both viewers and his replacement. Per Forte, his own Bush impression was “Not a match made in Heaven,” although the star asserted that it was almost impossible to live up to Ferrell’s impression. Even if he had felt more suited to the role, the sheer cultural reach of Ferrell’s take on the President would have always limited Forte’s follow-up.
Even Will Forte Knows He Couldn’t Live Up To Will Ferrell’s Impression
Forte Went A Different Direction With His Take On Bush
Forte argued that the show should arguably have retired the character with Ferrell’s exit, but then noted that it would be impossible to have no one playing the sitting president on the topical comedy series. Regardless, the star was aware thatWill Ferrell’s Bush impression was too famous for any replacement to outdo the impersonation.
Further evidence for this claim came in the form of 2009’sYou’re Welcome America, a successful Broadway theatre performance where Ferrell’s Bush said goodbye to the country. Directed byFerrell’s long-time collaborator Adam McKay, this standalone play proved that Ferrell’s take on Bush transcended the TV show that birthed the impression and became a major cultural moment in its own right. The theater performance proved that Ferrell’s Bush impersonation was still just as funny years after he left the show and a year after Bush himself left office, an impressive achievement in the infamously fast-paced world of timely political satire.
Will Ferrell’s SNL Characters Were Some Of The Most Memorable Ever
Ferrell Introduced Iconic Saturday Night Live Characters Like Steve Butabi and Craig the Spartan Cheerleader
It should come as no shock that the star’s Bush impression was so iconic, considering the fact thatWill Ferrell starred in some of the bestSaturday Night Livesketches of all time.Will Ferrell’s bestSaturday Night Livecharactersare among the show’s most inspired creations ever, from the Roxbury Guys to his bizarre impersonation ofInside the Actors Studiohost James Lipton.
Ferrell’s Blue Oyster Cult band member Gene was another unforgettable creation, elevating the “More Cowbell” sketch to legendary status thanks to his hilarious over-enthusiasm. Whether he was playing an absurd figure like Craig the Spartan cheerleader or a more deadpan character like his beleaguered version ofJeopardy’s Alex Trebek, Will Ferrell made many ofSaturday Night Live’s most memorable characters sing even outside his most famous impression.
