Steve Martin turns down Tim Walz impersonation role on SNL,’ dashing internet's casting hopes

Best known for his works in comedy films and shows, Steve Martin has won a Primetime Emmy Award, an Academy Honorary Award, and a Grammy among several other accolades.

By Namrata Ganguly

Published on Aug 09, 2024 | 09:45 AM IST | 53.9K

Here’s Why Steve Martin Turned Down Tim Walz impersonation role on SNL

Steve Martin and Tim Walz (PC- Instagram/ stevemartinreally/ timwalz)

Much to the internet's disappointment, Steve Martin has turned down the offer to portray the Midwestern politician Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live. And he has a good reason for not taking it up when the show returns in September.

Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, was named as Democratic nominee and vice president Kamala Harris’s running mate on Tuesday (August 06). The idea of having Martin play him in Saturday Night Live gained a lot of traction online.

But Martin made it clear that he doesn't want to play the politician in a Los Angeles Times interview the very next day. He told the newspaper that he was approached on Wednesday morning by veteran SNL producer Lorne Michaels about playing Walz, but he turned him down. “I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin said.

Mentioning the one noteworthy reason behind his decision, he recalled saying, “Lorne, I’m not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.’ I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses.”

Martin Short and Selena Gomez co-star with Martin in the popular Hulu series Only Murders in the Building. This fall, he and Short are also taking The Dukes of Funnytown! on the road, which might have caused a disruption in SNL's production schedule. As the LA Times pointed out, Deadline had earlier this month revealed that Maya Rudolph has postponed the filming of her Apple TV+ sitcom Loot in order to return to Saturday Night Live as Harris. Martin said of his role as a political figure on the sketch comedy show, “It's ongoing,” to the LA Times. Since the 1970s, Martin has been known to regularly host or appear on the show.

Talking about impersonating Walz, Martin said, “It's not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again. Again, they need a real impressionist to do that. They're gonna find somebody really, really good. I'd be struggling.”

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