As a staple of “Saturday Night Live” for eight years, Bill Hader is used to delivering remarks off the cuff. On Friday, he’ll try his hand at a very different type of speech: Chapman University’s commencement address.
Hader will also receive an honorary doctorate degree during the ceremony at Wilson Field.
In his remarkable career, Hader, 45, has racked up 29 Emmy nominations and three wins. Since leaving SNL in 2013, he has taken on numerous acting, directing and production roles, including the successful HBO dark comedy, “Barry.” The hit show’s final season in 2023 garnered 11 Emmy and two Golden Globes nominations. Hader starred in and directed all eight episodes of the last season.
“Bill Hader is a true inspiration to our graduating students, embodying a spirit of curiosity and perseverance,” said Chapman President Daniele Struppa said in a statement.
Born in Tulsa, Okla., Hader has only recently built ties with Chapman University. In March, he gave a master class to Dodge College of Film and Media Art students, sharing insights into his craft and experiences in the industry.
Hader talked to students about his childhood passion for filmmaking, which culminated in a lucky encounter where Ben Stiller watched one of his home movies. Later, after Hader moved to Hollywood, Stiller took the fledgling comedian under his wing, inviting him to hang out on the set of the comedy classic, “Zoolander.” A few years later, Hader starred alongside Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise in the Oscar-nominated albeit controversial comedy “Tropic Thunder.”
“Expressing yourself doesn’t mean (doing) what everybody else is liking,” Hader told Chapman film students in March. “Just do it. Make sure you’re constantly making stuff.”
Those without tickets to the live commencement event at 7 p.m. on Friday can watch Hader’s address and other Chapman University commencement ceremonies on YouTube at youtube.com/@chapmanu.
Chapman’s graduation ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. on Friday with the Fowler School of Law and continue through the weekend, ending with the Attallah College Degree at 5 p.m. on Sunday – there are a dozen individual ceremonies planned.
