Taran Killam Talks 'Saturday Night Live'

You’ve seen “Saturday Night Live” cast member Taran Killam mock Matthew McConaughey’s Oscar acceptance speech, give his opinion as an 1800s film critic, and bust a move in “Boy Dance Party.” And he’s even published a comic book, “The Illegitimates.”

Here, he answers Yahoo Sceen’s questions by email on the time he cracked up during a sketch, how he conquered his stage fright, Will Forte’s advice, and more.

When has it been hardest to keep a straight face during a sketch?
There was a sketch that only went to dress my first or second year. [Cast member] Paul Brittain was a “robot son,” who was a piece of crap. He could do nothing right. Then I enter as the “perfect robot son.” But my line on cards had a wrong word. I was supposed to say “I have finished converting your car SO that it runs on water.” But on the cue cards the word “so” was written as “to.” I did my best to save it: “I have finished converting your car toooooo… the power of running on water.” But everybody lost it. Especially [cast member] Kenan [Thompson]. It was hilarious that my purpose in the sketch was to do nothing wrong and right out of the gate, the first thing I say, just had the worst syntax. I broke a little, but was able to keep it together. I don’t like breaking if I can help it.

Which host intimidated you most? Which one surprised you most?
Any time there is a host who is an icon: Robert De Niro, Elton John, etc., I’m always pretty intimidated. But in the case of Elton John, there was a pretty great arc through the week. I was incredibly intimidated by him. But that week, a sketch I wrote got in and in the sketch Elton and I end up making out. We were fairly comfortable around each other by the end of the week.

I was really surprised and impressed by Miley Cyrus. I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say her reputation is of scandalous or risqué headlines. But she couldn’t have been more personable. She couldn’t have been more down to Earth. And it was pretty clear that she was in control and fully aware [of] her perception versus her reality. And she had a great sense of humor. Nothing made her squeamish, which is something I look for in a host.

Who is your all-time favorite cast member? Which sketch of theirs is your favorite?
All-time favorite is hard. I would have to say the cast member who first caught my attention and who I’ve always looked up to is Eddie Murphy. He was a versatile, electric, and fearless performer. That’s something I have even more appreciation for now, having been on the show. His fearlessness. There [is] a lot you can be afraid [of] as a performer on this show. There’s so much that can go wrong. But Eddie seemed to embrace the imperfections and feed off of them. I had his VHS “best of” and I must have watched it over 30 times in my life.

As my comedic tastes have “maaatuuured” — said as douchey as possible — I would say my favorite performer, just based off of the content he created, is Will Forte. My favorite kind of humor is insanely silly. I love to laugh and also go “Whaaaat??!” And from “The Falconer” to Lyle Kane, speed reader to spelling bee, MacGruber to my favorite pretape of all time: “The Date” with Megan Fox, Will created some of the most bizarre and exciting sketches I’ve ever seen on the show.

Which character of yours has received the biggest reaction — positive or negative — from fans?
People really seemed to like Eddie, or the “Glice” guy. I get a lot of “glide” comments. This year I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on Jebidiah, the 1800s newspaper critic. I can always tell when something goes well, because that’s when I hear from close friends and family. When I started on “SNL,” they would reach out pretty regularly. A lot of “So cool! I saw you!” but that novelty has worn off. Now when I do something people really like, I’ll hear from my buds and those are the compliments that mean the most. Although last show I did, [Oscar winner Matthew] McConaughey and I made the Entertainment Weekly Bullseye. That may mean just the slightest bit more than words of encouragement from friends and family.

Which “SNL” sketch from the show’s history do you wish you’d been in?
I’d have loved to have been a guest, the straight man, in a Will Ferrell/Harry Caray “Space: The Infinite Frontier” sketch. My buddy Kiel — not spelled wrong; his parents just had something to prove — would watch and quote those sketches over and over again in college.

What is a behind-the-scenes moment or ritual that would surprise or amuse fans? 
I was given a Polaroid camera as a gift two seasons ago. Now every show night, which is Saturday if you can believe it, I take ten Polaroid pictures backstage with cast and crew. So the walls in my dressing room are covered in Polaroid pictures from the last three seasons. It’s getting really fun to look back and reminisce.

What has been your favorite moment of the season so far?
I got to be in a Bill Brasky sketch. Just to be up there beside Will Ferrell, Dave Koechner, and Paul Rudd, trying to keep up was by far the most surreal moment in a job full of surreal moments. I kept the fake teeth.

When were you most nervous for a sketch? What’s your trick for taming stage fright?
I used to get the most nervous before [Weekend] Update segments. There’s something very different about sitting behind a desk and speaking directly to camera. Something more vulnerable. But at some point I thought to myself, what’s the worst that could happen? I could mess up. I would mess up and people would laugh. And it felt silly being afraid of something happening that was the point of my job. I still get nervous, but it’s more of an excited nervous as opposed to a fearful nervous.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received from a cast member or staffer?
The week I got hired, I ran into Will Forte at a gathering? A party? A soiree? I think it was a soiree. But he told me “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” That advice has been incredibly valuable to me. In the chaos of a show week, you can get into panic mode and start feeling like this week is the be all end all of my “SNL” career. But the more time you spend, the more you realize the show lives in reflection. People remember sketches more often from a “Best of DVD” or re-airings on VH1 than they do from first airing. The important thing [is] to do the best work you can on a consistent basis. And that’s what I strive to do.

Which “SNL” sketch is most underappreciated?
The Lyle Kane show. From the LeBron James episode. Look it up.