Reese Witherspoon recalls one of the most exciting moments of her hosting career Saturday Night Live Just weeks after the events of September 11.
The 49-year-old actress spoke about her emotional experience Chair expert With Dax Shepard, recalling how overwhelmed it felt to take the stage at such a fragile time for the country.
Witherspoon hosted the September 29, 2001 episode, the first episode of Season 27 and the first to air after the attacks, and admitted that she felt completely disconnected at that moment.
“It completely left my body,” she said, later adding: “I’d give this 0 stars, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
It was originally supposed to be her second episode of the season, but when the September 22 premiere was cancelled, plans changed.
She recalled receiving a phone call from creator Lorne Michaels, who told her how important the night was.
He stressed that Rudy Giuliani, the firefighters and Paul Simon would be there, and that the show needed them to help signal that “we have to laugh again. We have to restore patriotism.”
At the time, Witherspoon was just 24 years old, balancing early motherhood with fast-growing fame.
Summer hit her breakout Legally blonde He arrived only a few months ago, after prominent roles in Cruel intentions, electionand American Psycho.
However, she doesn’t want to back down.
“If you know me, if I tell you I’m going to do something, that means there has to be a real disaster for me if I don’t do it,” she said. Even when Michaels told her that jumping was an option, she responded, “Quit? Me?”
They kept going, and “we did it and it was good,” she recalled, though the pressure stuck with her.
The experience was so intense that she did not host the show again until May 2015, nearly 14 years later. “It’s not the show’s fault,” she said. “It was a very big responsibility for a 24-year-old girl.”
The memorable episode was also a first for Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers, who joined a cast that included Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon and Tracy Morgan.
Looking back, Witherspoon can appreciate what the episode meant, but she’s honest about how heavy it felt at the time.