Lorne Michaels had a request for Bowen Yang to do SNL and Wicked. Bowen Yang thought he had it: "And then I had a nervous breakdown"

Saturday Night Live It’s not an easy show to work on because it’s so demanding. What makes it even more difficult is trying to juggle it with another project. Now, with season 50 of SNL Broadcast on television in 2024 and Evil In theaters, Bowen Yang talked about what it was like balancing his work on the sketch comedy show with the musical, the demands Lorne Michaels placed on him to do both, and the challenges that brought everything with it.

The The actor and podcaster sat down with another of his bosses, Will Ferrell Interview magazine (Ferrell owns the Big Money Players Network – home of the Las Culturistas Podcast). The duo chatted about Yang’s range and the decision to work on it Evil in London and SNL at the same time in New York. When asked about his background in musical theater and his participation in one of the mega hits of the Cinema program 2024The Nora from Queens Alum revealed that he didn’t have that much experience, saying:

I’ve been a dilettante all my life. I think people even now assume that I have an in-depth knowledge of Broadway and musicals, but that’s pretty superficial. I feel like I snuck into this movie because they switched my role. I’m like, ‘Why am I in a scene with Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum?’ I still have imposter syndrome.

Not only did Yang feel imposter syndrome – which he shouldn’t, he’s awesome – but he also recognized the challenges of filming the series and film at the same time.

The Will & Harper Star asked where the filming took place and what the commute was like when Yang revealed Evil filmed in London. He said his plans for the crazy work schedule came after his plans SNL The boss laid out the requirements he had to meet to do both:

I was doing Saturday shows and Lorne (Michaels) was like, “You can do it if you don’t miss a show.” And I’m like, “No problem.” I have my CBD tinctures to get used to the jet lag and I have these great nootropic green tea caffeine gels to wake me up. I have this.’ And then I had a nervous breakdown. (Laughs.) Because I would do shows on Saturday, then fly first thing on Sunday morning, land in London at night, then shoot on Monday and Tuesday, then fly back on Wednesday.

Did someone’s head explode like mine did? A regular weekly flight between London and NYC is a comprehensive commitment. It shows Yang’s dedication to his work, even though it initially caused him to have a complete nervous breakdown.

It’s not sustainable at all, but there’s no doubt about how great both projects are. He went on to describe the reality of it all and reflect on the entire experience, noting that he won’t be doing it again:

And I did that enough times to actually drive myself crazy. Even though I have no regrets and it is the honor of my life to do this movie and SNL at the same time, I will never make the weekly eight-hour round trip again.

I’m glad we have him as one of Glinda’s buddies, Pfannee, but I’m even happier that he’s made the hellish commute. And with part 1 of Evil When he’s done, he can take a breather for now (or at least not travel so far for work) and just go back to performing at Studio 8H.

However, he is not finished working on films and SNL. You can expect to see Yang on the Cinema program 2025 for the remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 The wedding banquetfollowed by part 2 of EvilNaturally. You can also watch it every Saturday on NBC.

So, here’s hope for the rest of Yang SNL Days have simpler demands, much shorter commutes, and little to no mental breakdowns. That and many more successful projects for the rising star, because I’m not sure anyone else can pry the Titanic hit, international treasure Moo Deng, off the iceberg. And JD Vance.

If you want to watch Saturday Night Live, You can watch it on title night on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET or stream it with a Peacock subscription. To see the film Yang was filming at the same time SNLYou can check out the great reviewed version Evil now in the cinema.

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Lorne Michaels had a request for Bowen Yang to do SNL and Wicked. Bowen Yang thought he had it: “And then I had a nervous breakdown”

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