Josh O’Connor Says Hosting ‘SNL’ Was an ‘Easy Yes’ but Is Ready for a ‘Panic Attack’ the Day of: ‘I Spoke to Paul Mescal’ for Advice
Josh O’Connor has mixed feelings about hosting “Saturday Night Live.”
“It’s an easy yes because it’s like, iconic and the coolest and the biggest honor ever to be asked,” O’Connor said Monday night at the Los Angeles premiere of “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. “But I’m also, like, shitting myself.”
The “Challengers” star is set to host “SNL” on Dec. 13 with musical guest Lily Allen. In preparation for the big night, O’Connor reached out to a few friends — namely, his “The History of Sound” co-star Paul Mescal, who hosted last year, and his “Wake Up Dead Man” co-star, Josh Brolin, who previously hosted the show three times — for tips. But O’Connor isn’t holding his breath for any earth-shaking guidance.
“Everyone’s been kind of useless in different ways,” O’Connor joked. “Paul started off by being incredibly encouraging and reassuring, and then, I guess, forgot the brief, and by the end was like, ‘Then you have a panic attack.’ I’m just excited, and I’m so honored to be asked.”
Brolin told Variety that he’s advised many young stars before they made their “SNL” debut, including Glen Powell, who hosted the show on Nov. 15. He added that one of the only people who didn’t need the help was Timothée Chalamet, who hosted for the first time in 2020.
“The only person I didn’t give advice to is Timothée, and Timothée was brilliant. And I thought Glen was really good,” Brolin shared. “But I’m just like, ‘Lend yourself to it entirely. Don’t pull back. Don’t try to be cool. Be stupid.’ Go all the way with the stupid, and you’ll have a really good time.”
O’Connor stars in “Wake Up Dead Man” as former boxer turned priest Jud Duplenticy, who is sent to help Brolin’s charismatic clergyman Jefferson Wicks. Wicks’ circle includes churchgoer Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), aspiring lawmaker Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), local physician Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) and writer Lee Ross (Andrew Scott). Series star Daniel Craig returns as debonair detective Benoit Blanc, who must solve a murder mystery in the church community.
“Wake Up Dead Man,” Rian Johnson’s third “Knives Out” installment, hits theaters on Nov. 26 as part of a limited two-week theatrical run. The film then comes to Netflix on Dec. 12.
