Timothée Chalamet’s second time as host of Saturday Night Live had him showing off not only his comedic chops, but also just how versatile he is as an all-around performer.
The Oscar-nominated actor, 27, returned to the iconic sketch comedy show as a host for the 49th season’s fourth episode on Saturday night, where he was joined by the indie supergroup boygenius as the musical guest.
The last time he hosted was during COVID in 2020 and he had to wear a mask for the duration of the show. This go-round, he was in the mood to celebrate the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which came in the middle of his rehearsal week for the show.
During his opening monologue, he made light of the fact that, during the strike, actors weren’t allowed to plug their projects, like his upcoming film Wonka.
“The only thing I was allowed to talk about was that I have a commercial coming out. It’s an ad for a Snow perfume directed by Martin Scorsese. And let me tell you, when you get that call that Martin Scorsese wants to direct you, the first thing you think is, ‘Man, I really hope it’s a perfume commercial,’ “ he joked.
But now that the strike is over, Chalamet said, “It’s like we’re all returning to this magical world, where actors can once again talk about their projects.” With that, the lights dimmed and he grabbed a cane.
Timothée Chalamet’s monologue! pic.twitter.com/IeShetirJW
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) November 12, 2023
“Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of shameless self-promotion,” he sang to the tune of “Pure Imagination” from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film from 1971. The lyrics, however, were changed to talk-up his own upcoming movies.
“If you want to view a three-and-a-half hour film, go see Killers of the Flower Moon, or just wait for Part 2 of Dune. Just make sure before to use the bathroom,” he sang of another of his films, the Dune sequel which is set to be released in 2024.
$mokecheddathaassgetta alert ‼️ pic.twitter.com/CzXgJs3RHW
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) November 12, 2023
SNL castmember Marcello Hernández then joined him on stage and together they rapped about having baby faces: “Listen, I got a baby face, but my hips don’t lie. Say I’m a bad kid, I’m a bad guy. I got a baby face, but I’m hung like my dad. Trust me baby. This be the best you ever had.”
In his first sketch, Chalamet played a young and successful rapper named SmokeCheddaThaAssGetta guesting on a talk show with Mary J. Blige (Punkie Johnson), Rick Rubin (James Austin Johnson) and Cornel West (Kenan Thompson) commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Asked who his favorite rapper of all-time is, Chalamet’s rapper character answered, “That insurance girl. When she go ‘Nationwide is on your side,’ “ he sang, “Man, that slap bro. Be rapping out that ‘Nationwide is on your side.’ You know what I’m saying? That fire right there man.”
📞 thanks for calling the shred zone pic.twitter.com/787Iofhxj8
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) November 12, 2023
Next, padded with rippling, vein-popping muscles, Chalamet played a jacked gym employee in “Gym Call.” What would normally be a simple phone call with a gym member turned into an exercise of patience for Heidi Gardner’s ‘Tracy,’ who gave up trying to communicate and ended the call with a “Your brain is broke.”
In a rather epic-looking, special effects and CGI-driven video, looking like something out of Dune, Chalament played a warrior sent on a mission to destroy the beast intent on “crushing the human race” — a gigantic horse that used to be a tiny horse and his very bestest friend.
t̵i̵n̵y̵ ̵h̵o̵r̵s̵e̵ giant horse pic.twitter.com/pJ8XYMsQTX
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) November 12, 2023
“It’s extra bad in the future tonight,” Chalamet sang, showing off his musical abilities once again.
Other sketches starring Chalamet had him playing Troye Sivan, the Australian singer-turned-actor, who appears in Sarah Sherman’s hallucinations; a depressed [and really bad] songwriter; and the Man on the Moon who attempts to encourage an orphan to look on the bright side of life, only to find out that she’s a 28-year-old sociopath.
And lastly, Chalamet appeared as a voice artist recording a calming audiobook. When the producers aren’t impressed by his performance, he ends up being replaced by none other than Alec Baldwin, in a cameo that marked his 48th appearance on SNL.
During Chalamet’s first appearance as host in 2020, he told audiences how excited he was to take on the gig.
“It is a huge honor to be hosting Saturday Night Live in New York City!” he said. “Man, I’m so happy to be here. I’m from New York, I live in New York. I actually grew up in an arts building in Hell’s Kitchen about 12 minutes from here.”
“Before I was born, my mom was a dance teacher but on occasion, she would do background work on Saturday Night Live,” the star continued. “In fact, we have a clip of her in a Dana Carvey and Chris Farley sketch ‘Massive Head Wound Harry.’”
Since then, the Golden Globe nominee has kept busy with several upcoming projects and spending time with Kylie Jenner, who didn’t appear to have been in the SNL studio on Saturday night, but supported Chalamet at theshow’s afterparty in N.Y.C. later the same night.
The actor is slated to star in the upcoming Wonka film when it hits theaters on Dec. 15, where he will show off his singing and dancing skills as Willy Wonka. In the midst of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, his appearance on Dune Part 2 alongside Zendaya has been delayed to March 2024.
Saturday Night Live season 49 continues with its fifth episode next week on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
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