It’s been more than two decades sinceKenan Thompsonfirst worked withChris Farley, and the comedian still vividly remembers being in awe of his lateSaturday Night Livecostar.
“It was our chocolate sketch called ‘Cooking with Randy,'” Thompson, 43, tells co-hosts Jason Sheeler and Andrea Lavinthal in a special Emmys episode of thePEOPLE in the ’90s podcast.
“It was one of the greatest days I’ve ever seen,” Thompson says. “I learned literally a wealth of career knowledge in three hours, just watching a pro take direction. But also, do what he wanted. It was amazing.”
Kenan Thompson, Chris Farley.getty (2)
Thompson says he still uses the lessons he learned from Farley today.
Chris Farley and Kenan Thompson.NICKELODEON
“Strategies,” he calls them. And they came into focus when he joined the cast ofSNL. “When you walk through those doors and are around those people, you’re on. It’s time to be funny. It’s not time to just be there. It’s time to prove why you’re there. [On the set ofAll That] Chris was immediately funny, giving everybody what they expected. That part of being a professional goes a long way because we still talk about him being one of the greatest to this day. And that takes serious dedication.”
Becoming a double Emmy nominee takes some dedication too. Thompson says his nomination for a sitcom with his name on it has a special meaning. “That’s the supreme. The sitcom was the promised land anyway for any kind of working comedian. It was either that or Johnny Carson’s couch. You know what I’m saying? Those are two big pinnacle things in your career basically,” he says.
“So to have a sitcom named after yourself, regardless of all the pressure, that’s huge. And then, to be patted on the back for it, come on, man, it’s unbelievable. So I’m just over the moon about it. And I’m taking my W right now,” Thompson adds. “I will be very sauced up at the awards I’m sure.”
Kenan Thompson.Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU
Thompson says he felt the love from hisSNLcastmates the day the nominations were announced. “We all congratulated each other. It’s like, who can beat each other to their phones first? But we usually talk to each other in like, a group chat.”
As with any family, work or otherwise, there’s always one person on the text chain who takes things too far.
SNLis no different, Thompson says. “Mikey [Day] is the craziest, and I think probably Bowen [Yang] might be the filthiest.”
source: people.com
