“You Should Not Break”: Jimmy Fallon Remembers the SNL Glory Days

In May of 2002, Jimmy Fallon was the talk of the town, thanks to the killer impersonations and manic energy he brought to Saturday Night Live at a time when the show needed a creative jolt. Interview ’s then–editor-in-chief, the late great Ingrid Sischy, was such a huge fan that she hooked him up with Mick Jagger for this magazine’s cover story. More recently, Fallon took a time-out from hosting The Tonight Show to relive the insanity.

———

———

“I was getting more and more famous, and more people were talking about the show. Saturday Night Live usually has moments where it’s like, ‘Oh, this cast member’s popping,’ whether it be Chris Farley or Molly Shannon or Tina Fey. So I think that was probably my moment.”

———

———

“Me and Mick had done something fun on SNL. He came on the show and he told Lorne [Michaels] that he wants to do a sketch. So I go, ‘Why don’t we do a bit where I play Mick in the mirror?’ And Lorne goes, ‘Please don’t do that. That sketch has been done a million times. Groucho Marx did it, Lucille Ball did it. It’s just been done.’ So I pitched Mick a million ideas. I was like, ‘What if me and you work at a Sunglass Hut?’ And he was like, ‘No thanks, I don’t like that.’ Very polite, but very Mick. And then I go, ‘What if you play Keith, and Keith has cloned himself so that he can party with himself ?’ And he’s like, ‘Nah, that’s alright.’ This went on for 20 minutes. Sweat is coming down my face, and I’m about to leave. I go, ‘What about, you’re in the mirror, and I’m on the other side as you.’ And he goes, ‘Hey, that’s a funny idea. I like that.’ We wrote it on a Friday night, which is rare for SNL, and it did really well during dress. And then on air, it destroyed.”

———

———

“Oops. Sorry, Mick. I was a little embarrassed there, but then he pulled it back, right? Because didn’t Andy do the Sticky Fingers album cover?”

———

———

“See? This is all ingrained in my brain.”

———

———

“Maybe this was like a fight or flight moment. Like, I’m nervous, so I should ask him a question. I tried to act like I was just on the phone with Mick, and not act like we were doing an interview.”

———

———

“I’d be so embarrassed if I was this person now, and I would never have this job. I definitely do my homework for all my guests. If I was talking to Mick Jagger today, I would have been more prepared. God, when does he hang up the phone?”

———

———

“I was with Ellen Barkin once, when she was married to Ron Perelman, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s crazy. That’s a real Andy Warhol.’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, touch it.’ I go, ‘Oh, I don’t want to.’ She goes, ‘Touch it.’ I go, ‘I would never.’ She goes, ‘Do it, it’s just a painting.’ So then, she made me touch it. I’ve not touched any famous art since, besides the Mona Lisa.”

———

———

———

“I think you should not break. I never did it on purpose, and I always felt bad if I did, but I tried my hardest not to. And then people started knowing that I was an easy laugh, so Will Ferrell or Molly Shannon would go out of their way to make me laugh. We were playing, and I was just having a good time. There’s probably a bunch of sketches where I laughed that no one talks about, but there’s a few that got famous.”

———

“It was the best episode of the miniseries. I played Lieutenant George C. Rice, I was the one that brought ammo to the boys. Tom Hanks directed me in my episode and we’ve never worked together again.”

———

———

“Weirdly enough, I’m thinking about growing a beard for fun now, because I’m about to go on vacation. We’re going to a dude ranch, so I thought I should probably have a beard. I’m working on it now. I haven’t shaved for the past three days, and I’m looking forward to what that’s going to look like. I do grow a terrible beard. It’s pretty embarrassing, but I’ve grown to live with that, and be comfortable in my own skin.”

———

———

“I don’t remember Jon Stewart hosting. I remember Ian McKellen hosting because we did a bit where we kissed.”

———

“I wasn’t kissing ass. What was better? But I’d love to go back and let 2002 Jimmy know that he won’t even believe what’s about to happen. ‘You’re going to meet the coolest, most gorgeous person in the world and marry her. You’re going to have two beautiful girls. Lorne becomes one of your best friends. And you’ll talk to Mick Jagger again, many times.'”

———

———

Hair: Jae-Manuel Cardenas using Living Proof

Makeup: Cyndie Lou Boehm using Chanel Beauty

Fashion Assistants: Juan Zenon and Aliana Crocker