After his breakout performance as a young Steven Spielberg in The Fabelmans, Gabriel Labelle enters a new chapter of his career with Saturday Night, Jason Reitman’s chaotic, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the first Saturday Night Live episode.
Following his recognition as Best Young Performer at the 28th Critics’ Choice Awards, the rising Canadian star steps into the shoes of another Hollywood icon: SNL creator Lorne Michaels. In Saturday Night, Labelle, who also appears in the underseen coming-of-age film Snack Shack, anchors the ensemble cast, which includes rising talents like Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman, and Dylan O’Brien, as Lorne Michaels navigates the high-stakes pressure of assembling the show’s debut episode.
Labelle, who considers himself a comedy nerd, took Jason Reitman’s direction to be present in the scene. As the film’s central figure, his portrayal of Michaels was less about perfecting the walk or voice—it was the ability to listen and react, making Michaels a steady anchor in the whirlwind of SNL‘s first day on set.
“I tried to make sure that every moment was planned and articulated and had the effect I wanted it to have,” he started. “But understanding that Lorne’s just reacting to everything around him meant actually to react. I learned that I had to just show up and be as present as possible… and it had a much more positive experience on my body.”
Awards Focus spoke with Gabriel Labelle about the contrasts between his promotional experience for The Fabelmans and Saturday Night, the challenges of portraying a real-life figure like Lorne Michaels, and the invaluable lessons he’s learned from the fast-paced, high-pressure world of sketch comedy and filmmaking.
Awards Focus: How has the press tour for Saturday Night been compared to your experience promoting The Fableman’s?
Gabriel Labelle: I have a little bit more experience now, and I know what to expect, so I can manage my energy. Paul [Dano] and Michelle [Williams] had just had kids, and Steven [Spielberg] was so busy. They’ve also been doing it for so long, whereas with Saturday Night, it feels like there’s much more of a young hang. It’s newer and exciting, and it’s a very fun environment.
AF: Lorne interacts with most of the characters in the film at some point. What was the casting process like, and were you asked to do chemistry reads with other cast members?
Labelle: I had a chemistry read with Rachel [Sennott]. Then Cooper [Hoffman] and I ended up doing a chemistry read. He was auditioning for a different character, and I was going out for Lorne. I went in to read, and Jason [Reitman] asked if I’d like to hang out for a bit. I go outside, and I see Cooper there, who I’d known for a couple of years. Then Cooper has his audition, and they both walk out together. Jason hands us a new scene and asks us to cold read. [laughs] We hadn’t prepared.
AF: There’s such a large, ensemble cast. What was it like seeing everyone for the first time on set?
Labelle: You know, it’s very isolating preparing for a movie. You’re in your own place, just talking to yourself for hours and figuring out the voice, your walk, and your own thing. Then you get to set, and you hear everyone’s thing, and everyone talks about what they’re nervous about, and you’re like, I’m nervous about that too! It was really unifying, whereas a lot of other projects you do your own thing, you show up, get it done. But this, everyone’s playing these larger-than-life real people who mean a lot to a lot of people. It was really bonding.
AF: You mentioned spending time developing Lorne’s voice and physicality. What conversations were you having with Jason about portraying a real-life person and adding your own choices and inflections?
Labelle: In the voice, Jason came up to me a couple of times, and he’s like, it’s too much like Lorne. He wanted me to be loose and to be as present as possible. When he noticed I was saying a line the same way, take after take, he was like, we have that, and I want you to now be as present as possible.
I wanted to get Lorne’s accent. I wanted to get the rhythms of certain words and certain mannerisms. I would send Jason voice notes and try to mimic Lorne’s voice exactly. And he would be like, great… but I don’t want it.
I didn’t want it to be the first thing people noticed. I hoped that people who knew him and heard how I pronounced certain words or the way my eyebrows moved could feel like they were watching someone important in their lives.
AF: It’s such a measured performance because you can see the pressure getting to Lorne, but he doesn’t reveal it. Was there a discussion about how stress would look on Lorne across the 90-minute countdown?
Labelle: One thing Jason was very clear on was that he didn’t want Lorne to seem stressed. He wanted Lorne to always be positive. He didn’t want Lorne to be dismissive. He needed to take extra care with all of his interactions despite how freaked out he was because he was everybody’s dad.
The only time Lorne could really convey to the audience that he’s freaking out is when he’s alone or if he’s with Rosie. He’ll never say that he’s nervous out loud because he has to steer the ship.
AF: Willem Dafoe’s character, Dave Tebet, offers the greatest obstacle for Lorne, the old guard versus the new. What was it like shooting your scenes with him and playing with their dynamic?
Labelle: His company is so intoxicating. He has so much energy, and he’s dancing, singing, and being goofy. It’s really great to see him work and helped me get loosened up.
Before a scene, I’d be off in one corner preparing while he’s off in another corner, and then five minutes later, we’d be goofy and going wild. I felt like there was a comfort in knowing that we treated set in our own preparation process. There are a lot of similarities in that, but he’s so unpredictable. I picked his brain as much as I could if he’d let me.
AF: What was the feeling like to walk onto the constructed set that resembled the one from the show?
Labelle: It felt like a play because it’s all in the same place every day. It felt like we were rehearsing a play and like we were doing Shakespeare. For me, being a huge comedy nerd, that period is mythologized. You have Richard Pryor, George Carlin, John Belushi… it’s very much like a massive period in pop culture.
AF: Did you have a long pre-production rehearsing those one-shots that weave through characters and corridors?
Labelle: Not really. We’d run things a couple of times, but no rehearsal. Jason had everything blocked out, so you just had to be as present with it and focused as possible. Say your line, hit that mark, and get it done.
AF: That opening sequence, especially when Lorne first comes into the studio, was like a masterclass in timing and precision.
Labelle: That was so much fun. Everyone was so excited and nervous for it. I remember someone would walk by and say something hilarious or deliver a performance, and I’d sit there and think, oh, I can’t mess this up. I can’t ruin it for them because their character is being introduced, and I want them to succeed in the film. Nobody dropped the ball. Not once. Everyone was just ready to go.
AF: Moving into your next projects, what are you taking away from being involved in Saturday Night and playing Lorne Michaels?
Labelle: It has really inspired me to trust myself. I’ve been more afraid on other films and a lot less comfortable with myself, and rigid. I tried to make sure that every moment was planned and articulated and had the effect I wanted it to have. But understanding that Lorne’s just reacting to everything around him meant actually to react. I have to be present. I couldn’t prepare. I couldn’t anticipate anything. I learned that I had to just show up and be as present as possible, which allowed me to get home, relax, and decompress. Normally, I’d be very tired, but I gave myself a break, and it had a much more positive experience on my body.
Also, Jason runs a brilliantly positive set and now I know that there’s no excuse for the opposite.