Anthony Michael Hall Says Watching His ControversialSNLSeason for the First Time Recently Was 'Healing' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Anthony Michael Hall in 1985 and in 2024.Photo:Courtesy Everett; Phillip Faraone/Getty

Courtesy Everett; Phillip Faraone/Getty

Thanks toSaturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary, which was commemorated over the weekend with twoSNL50specials on Feb. 14 and Feb. 16,Anthony Michael Hallis having a moment of reflection when it comes to his short time on NBC’s long-running sketch comedy series.

Hall, 56, joined SNL in 1985, during season 11. At the time, he was just 17 years old and known for acting in a string of John Hughes movies: 1983’sNational Lampoon’s Vacation; 1984’sSixteen Candles;as well as the back-to-back 1985 hitsThe Breakfast ClubandWeird Science. (The Breakfast Club, which also starredMolly Ringwald,Judd Nelsonand Ally Sheedy, alsocelebrated its 40th anniversaryon Feb. 15 with thecast reuniting earlier this monthat MegaCon.)

Often dubbed the “weird year,” the season — which ran for 18 episodes from November 1985 to May 1986 and also starred Dennis Miller, Joan Cusack, Jon Lovitz, Randy Quaid and Robert Downey Jr., among others — has been said to have nearly derailed the entire show.

“The press slammed it from the beginning,” Lovitz, 67,told PEOPLEahead of Sunday’s live special.

From Left: Anthony Michael Hall and Lucia Hall at SNL50: The Anniversary Special on Feb. 16, 2025 in N.Y.C.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

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Recalling how he watched the series in high school, he says he “loved the Eddie skits and just looking forward to everything he did and just looking up to him … And, as fate would have it, a couple of years later I got the call.”

While Hall — currently promoting season 3 ofReacher, which returns to Prime starting Feb. 20 — ended up participating in an episode of the four-part Peacock docuseriesSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, opening up about his experiences on the show at the time, he tells PEOPLE it almost didn’t happen. “I hesitated doing the doc thing. I was like, ‘Oh, no. I think I’ll pass because we got so beat up at the time with the reviews and in conjunction with the fact that I never watched the episodes,’ " he says.

He explains he didn’t initially want to look back on his season. “I kind of tried to bury it, I think, in my mind. ‘Cause like, ‘Oh yeah, I was a part of that show, but it was the worst season ever.’ "

From Left: Nora Dunn, Danitra Vance, Randy Quaid, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Terry Sweeney, Joan Cusack and Jon Lovitz for ‘SNL’ season 11.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

However, after reconnecting with Laila Nabulsi, an associate producer from that season who he says “was instrumental in getting me hired,” Hall realized that “I just had all these memories about it.” He adds, “We had a three-and-a-half-hour call, Laila and I, and it was just like reconnecting with an old friend, and it was wonderful and we laughed and we made fun of, you know, ourselves and the season and we reflected on how crazy it was.”

For him, that phone call alone “was kind of cathartic,” Hall says. “I was like, ‘You know what? I need to do this.’ "

Then, after hanging up with Nabulsi, the actor decided to revisit his season. “I kind of pulled an all-nighter. I watched all of the episodes,” he says, before revealing that the whole viewing experience “was like the last 10 minutes ofIt’s a Wonderful Lifebecause suddenly — and I’m getting chills telling you this — it was cathartic. It was healing.”

Hall adds, “It kind of lifted all the bulls— and the ego and all the negative feelings that I had in my head the whole time. It kind of allowed me to let go of all that s—. It was like an out-of-body experience.”

“So, I had that kind of moment and I was like, ‘I’m an idiot, man, if I don’t do this. Of course, I’m gonna do this now,’ " he says of recounting his memories for theSNLdocumentary.

From Left: Anthony Michael Hall with Randy Quaid on ‘SNL’ in May 1986.RM Lewis Jr./NBCU Photo Bank

RM Lewis Jr./NBCU Photo Bank

In the episode about season 11, Hall said, “I’m proud to be a part of it.” Later on, he even acknowledged the complications that came with being so young. “When I look back I have some memories of it being difficult, I think, for a lot of the writers to figure out how to write for this kid,” he recalled. “I think it was a big challenge.”

While participating in the documentary was a huge moment for Hall, returning to Rockefeller Center in New York City whereSNLis filmed forSNL50: The Homecoming Concertand forSNL50: The Anniversary Specialwas also a fulfilling experience.

“To take part in what is now the 50th season — I mean the anniversary and the concert — it was just amazing. It was really kind of dreamlike in a way,” Hall says, noting that returning to Studio 8H for the taping marked “my first time back in 40 years. It was really delightful.”

“It was a full circle night, particularly on Sunday,” Hall, who ismarried Lucia Oskerova, with whom he sharesone child, continues. He explains, “I saw the difference in me now that I’m happily married. I could enjoy it more and I could enjoy it through my wife’s eyes in some regard. It was just really cool, man.”

source: people.com