Former Saturday Night Live star Michaela Watkins (photo: NBC)
Saturday Night Live is replacing cast members Casey Wilson and Michaela Watkins with two fresh female faces this season, and not everyone was prepared for the news—namely, Watkins.
Michael Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly spoke with Watkins about her departure and the arrival of SNL newbies Nasim Pedrad and Jenny Slate.
"I don’t think anyone knows what Lorne Michaels was thinking. That’s one of the exciting things about him. If he were to vanish the show would just freeze. Not a single thing would be shot because so much hinges on him," Watkins said.
"The only explanation I got from him — and he’s not known to say things just to make people feel better — was that he felt deep down that I should have my own show. And I agreed. SNL was a dream come true for me. It was a fantastic year. I don’t have any regrets."
Ausiello then asked, "Lorne fired you because he thought you were good enough to get your own show? What am I missing here?" To which Watkins replied, "You tell me. I honestly don’t know. What he said is he’s trying to get what’s best for him and best for me. He said it had nothing to do with talent. And I’m just going to go on that. That was his only explanation. He’s looking at the whole mix of the show and maybe he feels that what I bring would be better served on a sitcom. They hired two new gals [Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad] that I think are going to be exquisite."
Watkins says her first reaction was "shock. And sadness [because] it just felt premature. But on some level I feel like there are so many opportunities and things that I want to do in the future and now they’ll just happen sooner rather than later."
When asked if she and Lorne got along, Watkins replied, "Yes. I really like him. I have a ton of respect for the man. He’s also a businessman and he thinks about things that I don’t think about and that might be reflected in this decision. I think this was more of a business decision than it was about talent. I know how much [airtime] featured players get and I surpassed my own expectations.
As for her former cast mates, Watkins said with a laugh, "They’ve been terrific. Last night we went out and had a farewell dinner with a lot of wine."
Finally, the funny lady told Ausiello that she does plan on pursuing her own show. "I just want to make people laugh, and I want to do that the best way possible."
Watch a Watkins-less SNL on September 26, when the show kicks off its 35th season with host Megan Fox.
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