“I’m sorry I was so tense”

“I was too stressed and I think I robbed myself of some of the fun that I could have had,” O’Brien said of his three years writing for “Saturday Night Live.”

Conan O’Brien remembers his time Saturday Night Live.

In the November 4 episode of his podcast: Conan O’Brien needs a friend, The comedian said he worked as a comedy show writer from 1988 to 1991. Looking back on his three years on the job, O’Brien, 61, said he now wanted to stay in the job longer.

“People always say they have no regrets,” he began. “I regret that I was so passionate about this work. Yes. I was too stressed and I think I robbed myself of some of the pleasure I could have had. I had a lot of fun, but I think I could have had more fun.” .. And I think I could write there a little longer if I didn’t tire myself out.”

He joked: “Jay Leno came and took my writing job at SNL! No. I burned out.

Tom Hankswho was a guest on a podcast episode and appeared on SNL although O’Brien was a writer, he said the long-running series was unlike any other because the writer also “produced” the series.

“The guy who wrote this with a lot of passion is somewhere between sweating and vomiting with anxiety,” Hanks joked. “You know, he tells Sting how to do comedy. But I think this is its great strength. You can create what you wrote right here and now.”

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O’Brien recalled his several years working in television before landing. SNL, and he said that “no one let me near anything” during that time. When he met Lorne Michaelswho created SNL, everything has changed.

“You’ll get to SNLyou write a sketch and Steve MartinI’ll be there,” O’Brien recalls. “And Lorne says, ‘Well, go and tell Steve how it should be done and what you think, and then go and talk to the props guys about what the restaurant should look like.’ And I thought, “I’m 26. I’ve never been to a restaurant.” I don’t know.'”

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As a person who was now on SNL Ten times, Hanks added that it was also a stressful experience for the guest hosts.

“You have to learn to survive physically during the show,” he said. “Yeah. “The last time I did this, I told everyone who was in charge of me, especially our costume designers and directors, I said, “I want you to understand that my goal in doing MC duties this week is – take as few steps as possible. So I’ll come here, get dressed, and where should we get dressed next time? Because I won’t have to walk all the way here. I’m going to take just a few steps.

He added: “It’s a game for young people and there was a time when you just know, it’s just balls on the walls and you just fill every minute with activity.”

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 pm ET on NBC.