'SNL 1975' actors and the real cast members they play

Live from New York… it's the story of the very first Saturday Night Live.

Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) is directing SNL 1975, a film set to chronicle the tense behind-the-scenes drama leading up to the first-ever SNL broadcast on Oct. 11, 1975. Reitman is co-writing the screenplay with frequent collaborator Gil Kenan, based on interviews with the cast and crew of SNL's first year on the air.

Some of the original 'Saturday Night Live' cast members.
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

So far the project has cast actors to portray young versions of some of the most memorable Not-Ready-for-Primetime Players, including Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman, as well as behind-the-scenes figures like Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. Here's who's playing who in SNL 1975.

01 of 22

Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels

Gabriel LaBelle / Lorne Michaels — Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Gabriel LaBelle is set to play Lorne Michaels, the co-creator and perennial top dog at SNL. LaBelle previously broke out playing a fictionalized version of young Steven Spielberg in 2022's The Fabelmans. LaBelle is only 21 years old, whereas Michaels was about 31 when SNL first hit the airwaves.

02 of 22

Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase

Cory Michael Smith, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, ('Weekend Update', Season 1), Chevy Chase — Cory Michael Smith, Chevy Chase.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; Everett Collection

Cory Michael Smith will portray Chevy Chase, the breakout star of SNL's first season (and original "Weekend Update" anchor) who quickly left the show to pursue a movie career. Smith played the Riddler on Gotham for five seasons, and recently appeared as Julianne Moore's son in May December.

03 of 22

Matt Wood as John Belushi

Matt Wood, John Belushi on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Matt Wood, John Belushi.
Courtesy Sony; NBCU Photo Bank

Matt Wood will play the late John Belushi, the cast member known for bringing live-wire energy to characters like Jake Blues, Samurai Futaba, Pete Dionisopoulos, James T. Kirk, and Henry Kissinger. Wood has primarily worked on stage in shows like Spongebob Squarepants and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though he's also appeared in episodes of TV series like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Difficult People.

04 of 22

Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner

Ella Hunt / Gilda Radner — Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

English actress Ella Hunt will star as the late Gilda Radner, the legendary cast member behind characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella, and Baba Wawa, and who won an Emmy in 1978. Hunt played Sue Gilbert in Dickinson opposite Hailee Steinfeld on Apple TV+, and will next appear in Kevin Costner's four-part epic Western Horizon: An American Saga.

05 of 22

Dylan O'Brien as Dan Aykroyd

Dylan O'Brien, Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live — Dylan O'Brien, Dan Aykroyd.
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images; Edie Baskin/Warner Bros./Archive Photos/Getty Images

Dylan O'Brien will play Dan Aykroyd, the Conehead/Blues Brother and skilled impersonator who did impressions of Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Julia Child, and many more on the show. O'Brien starred in Teen Wolf and the Maze Runner trilogy, as well as movies like Deepwater Horizon, Love and Monsters, and Bumblebee.

06 of 22

Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris

Lamorne Morris, Garrett Morris on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Amy Sussman/Getty Images; NBCU Photo Bank

Lamorne Morris is set to portray Garrett Morris, SNL's first Black cast member, best known for characters like Chico Escuela and the "News for the Hard of Hearing" translator, as well as his musical performances. The younger Morris (no relation) played fan-favorite Winston on New Girl, and recently appeared in season 5 of Fargo.

07 of 22

Kim Matula as Jane Curtin

Kim Matula / Jane Curtin — Kim Matula as Jane Curtin.
Michael Tullberg/Getty; Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty

Kim Matula will play Jane Curtin, the beloved cast member who specialized in straight-woman performances and the matriarch of the Coneheads. Matula appeared in projects like L.A. to Vegas, UnReal, and Fighting With My Family. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2014 for her work on The Bold and the Beautiful.

08 of 22

Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman

Emily Fairn / Laraine Newman.
Dave Benett/Getty; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Emily Fairn will play Laraine Newman, the performer known for characters like Christie Christina, Connie Conehead, and Valley girl Sherry. Fairn appeared in last year's "Demon 79" episode of Black Mirror, as well as British series like The Responder and COBRA. She also starred alongside Lucas Hedges and Mike Faist in the recent West End production of Brokeback Mountain.

09 of 22

Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster

Rachel Sennott / Rosie Shuster — Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster.
Araya Doheny/Getty; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Rachel Sennott is set to portray Rosie Shuster, the longtime SNL writer who was married to Michaels in the 1970s. Sennott made waves in comedies like Shiva Baby and Bodies, Bodies, Bodies before starring in (and co-writing!) last year's buzzy Bottoms.

10 of 22

Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol

Cooper Hoffman / Dick EbersolÂ — Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol.
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty; NBC/courtesy Everett Collection

Cooper Hoffman will play Dick Ebersol, the former NBC executive who helped launch SNL and later produced the Olympic telecasts for NBC Sports. Hoffman, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, made his film debut as the young hustler Gary Valentine in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza in 2022.

11 of 22

Nicholas Braun as Jim Henson

Nicholas Braun, Jim Henson — Nicholas Braun and Jim Henson.
David Livingston/Getty Images; Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Succession star Nicholas Braun is set to play Muppets mastermind Jim Henson in the film. Henson's Muppets made regular appearances on the first 10 episodes of SNL, particularly in the recurring Land of Gorch segment. Braun other screen credits include Zola, Dream Scenario, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

12 of 22

Tommy Dewey as Michael O'Donoghue

Tommy Dewey, Michael O'Donoghue — Tommy Dewey and Michael O'Donoghue.
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Tommy Dewey will portray SNL's first head writer, Michael O'Donoghue, who was also credited as a cast member in the first four episodes of the show and performed sporadically after that. Dewey previously worked with Reitman on Hulu's Casual (on which he was a series regular) and The Front Runner. He also appeared on The Mindy Project and the Fox sitcom Pivoting.

13 of 22

Nicholas Podany as Billy Crystal

Nicholas Podany, Billy Crystal — Nicholas Podany and Billy Crystal.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images; Jim Britt/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Nicholas Podnay will play legendary comedian Billy Crystal, who was set to appear in the SNL premiere before his sketch was cut (though he later performed a monologue in the 17th episode of the season). Podnay was a series regular on the Apple TV+ show Hello Tomorrow and played Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.

14 of 22

Kaia Gerber as Jacqueline Carlin

Kaia Gerber attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. , Jacqueline Carlin 08/27/1976 — Kaia Gerber and Jacqueline Carlin.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Kaia Gerber is set to portray Jacqueline Carlin, the girlfriend (and later, wife) of Chevy Chase. Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, starred in Bottoms alongside Sennott, appeared in several episodes of American Horror Stories, and played a small role in Damien Chazelle's Babylon.

15 of 22

Andrew Barth Feldman as Neil Levy

Andrew Barth Feldman attends the "Sin Malos Rollos" photocall at Hotel Four Seasons on June 14, 2023 in Madrid, Spain., Neil Levy as NBC Page during the monologue on April 17, 1975 — Andrew Barth Feldman and Neil Levy.
Borja B. Hojas/Getty; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Andrew Barth Feldman has been tapped to play Neil Levy, Lorne Michaels' cousin who served as a talent coordinator and production assistant on SNL for nearly a decade. Feldman played Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway and starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings.

16 of 22

Finn Wolfhard as an NBC page

Finn Wolfhard and Jack McBrayer.
Cindy Ord/Getty; Bobby Bank/WireImage

Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard will play an as-of-yet unnamed NBC page. 30 Rock fans should be familiar with the studio's page program thanks to Jack McBrayer's portrayal of Kenneth on the Tina Fey sitcom. Wolfhard previously worked with Reitman on Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

17 of 22

J.K. Simmons as Milton Berle

JK Simmons and Milton Berle — J.K. Simmons and Milton Berle.
Mike Marsland/WireImage; Alan Berliner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

J.K. Simmons will play legendary TV comedian Milton Berle, the former host of NBC’s Texaco Star Theatre who hosted an infamous SNL episode in the show’s fourth season. An Academy Award winner for Whiplash, Simmons has appeared in every one of Reitman’s directorial features besides 2018’s Tully.

18 of 22

Joe Chrest as Herb Sargent

Joe Chrest and Herb Sargent.
Theo Wargo/Getty; Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic

Joe Chrest is set to portray Herb Sargent, a veteran television writer who co-created Weekend Update alongside Chevy Chase. Chrest is perhaps best known for playing inattentive father Ted Wheeler on Stranger Things, and also appeared in projects like 21 Jump Street, Ant-Man, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Reitman’s The Front Runner.

19 of 22

Taylor Gray as Al Franken

Taylor Gray and Al Franken.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage; Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Taylor Gray has been tapped to play Al Franken, the writer and occasional performer for SNL who went on to serve as a senator for Minnesota. Gray provided the voice of Ezra Bridger on Star Wars: Rebels, and also appeared as a regular on shows like In the Vault and Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures.

20 of 22

Mcabe Gregg as Tom Davis

Mcabe Gregg and Tom Davis.
David Crotty/Getty; Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty

Mcabe Gregg will portray Tom Davis, the longtime SNL writer who was Franken’s primary comedy partner. Gregg has appeared on shows like Shameless, Grown-ish, The Flowers, and Chicago P.D., as well as movies like Teenage Badass and Age of Summer.

21 of 22

Willem Dafoe as David Tebet

Willem Dafoe attends the United States premiere of "Dead for a Dollar" at Directors Guild of America on September 28, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, David W. Tebet during the 'Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" 10th Anniversary party on September 30, 1972 — Willem Dafoe and David Tebet.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty; NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Four-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe is set to play David Tebet, the renowned NBC executive who allegedly inspired both Jack Lemmon's character in The Odd Couple and William Holden's character in Network. One of the most prolific character actors of his generation, Dafoe has recently appeared in Poor Things, Asteroid City, Inside, The Northman, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

22 of 22

Naomi McPherson as Janis Ian

Naomi McPherson and Janis Ian.
getty (2)

Naomi McPherson has been tapped to make their screen debut as Janis Ian, the musical guest who performed "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter" on the inaugural SNL broadcast. McPherson is a guitarist in the indie pop band Muna, which has released three studio albums to date and toured with prominent pop artists like Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lorde, and the 1975.

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