Robert Downey Jr. Makes Rare Remarks About His Single ‘SNL’ Season

Though he rarely speaks about his short-lived tenure on Saturday Night Live, Marvel superstar Robert Downey Jr. broke his silence in the final episode of Peacock’s docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.

Downey joined the cast at the beginning of season 11, an infamous chapter in SNL’s history. It marked creator Lorne Michaels’ return to the show following a five-year absence due to political wrangling at NBC. Instead of recruiting unknown names from niche comedy circuits, Michaels decided to retool the show and cast known actors. Joining Downey in Studio 8H were established actors Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, and Joan Cusack; but it also marked the first season for legacy cast members Jon Lovitz and Nora Dunn.

“I wanted to go younger,” Michaels explained of his decision in SNL50. “I perhaps went too young, but I wanted to go younger. The Baby Boomer generation had dominated the show for 10 years, so I decided to clean house.”

Downey found out about the job through Hall, his Weird Science co-star, who couldn’t believe his luck at landing the gig. “I remember just being shocked,” Hall said, adding that he couldn’t comprehend being part of “a show that meant so much to me as a kid growing up in New York.”

Hall decided to share the good fortune with his good friend. “Michael Hall said to me, ‘I’m gonna go do SNL,’” Downey said in the doc. He recalled his friend telling him, “I’m gonna get you an audition, and I bet you’re gonna get yourself on the show too.”

That turned out to be prophetic, and Downey soon found himself sharing the stage with Hall. But many in the docuseries speak to a disparity between the young cast and the veteran writers which ultimately unraveled the thread. “When I look back,” Hall mused, “I have some memories of it being difficult, I think, for a lot of the writers to figure out how to write for [these kids]. I think it was a big challenge.”

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 14 — Pictured: (l-r) Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall during ‘Weekend Update’ on April 14, 1986 (Photo by Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)NBC/Getty Images

Downey, who went on to Marvel superstardom and is to date the only SNL cast member to win an Oscar, also found his single-season arc to be difficult. However, he found it to be an invaluable learning experience and doesn’t regret his decision. “I learned so much in that year about what I wasn’t,” Downey admitted. “But there’s not a more exciting 90 minutes you could have, whether you are any good or not,” he cracked.

The show’s eleventh season was such a disaster that it ended with a cliffhanger in which the entire cast was trapped in a burning building, with Michaels concentrating on saving only Lovitz. The episode ended with a title card reading “Who Will Survive?,” with a question mark next to every cast and crew member’s name in the credits, including Michaels. NBC’s president at the time, Brandon Tartikoff, was intent on canceling the show, but Michaels begged for another opportunity. Tartikoff agreed, but only if most of the new cast was jettisoned. Ultimately, only Lovitz and Dunn returned for season 12.

All four episodes of SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night are streaming on Peacock