Timothée Chalamet Quietly Becoming An All-Time Deranged ‘SNL’ Host
Already a three-time host before he’s turned 30, Timothée Chalamet has a way of sneaking up behind you on Saturday Night Live. Check out his monologue — he’s low-key and self-effacing, explaining how he’s never won any of the acting award nominations he’s received. He wants to deliver the acceptance speech he’s never had the chance to give, only to discover Kenan Thompson has won even in his fantasy. The bashful nice guy unleashes his inner glower, revealing the demon hiding beneath.
Playing it straight works so much better for Chalamet than when he goes over the top, like the fitness instructor at Bounce House Studio. “I’m Nathaniel Latrine the Bungee Queen! Who’s ready to fly?” The questionably effective exercise routine mainly consists of dangling from bungee cords.
He gets even bigger laughs when he underplays, allowing his inner weirdo to catch you unaware. Chalamet and Bowen Yang nail the awkwardly “realistic” speech cadence of A.I.-generated characters Drew 2 and Jose Legit.
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JOSE: It's good to see you, man.
DREW 2: Good to see you too, man.
JOSE: Good to see you in the studio.
DREW 2: Yeah. Good to see you in the studio where we are.
In the way of most A.I.-generated personalities, the characters slowly unravel from our reality. Their six-fingered hands are just the half of it.
Chalamet saves his best for a sketch where he plays Benny, a stone-faced barista trainee. The coffee shop is one of those places with chalkboard easels out front, using caffeine-centric puns to lure customers inside. Wait — they get to do jokes? The deadly serious Benny reveals he’s really into comedy. “Then you should be really good at this.”
“Yeah,” he says with the inflection of a serial killer. “I bet I will be.”
The other new employees offer their contributions, punny gems like “It’s so cold out, I can’t cof-feel my face,” and “This cold weather is mocha me crazy.” What does Benny have to contribute? Chalamet leaps to his feet and lets loose a Def Comedy Jam tirade: “Man, you ever go to your lady place, and she got a yellow ring around the tub? I’m like, girl, who you been washing up in there? Homer Simpson?”
Pretty good, say his wary trainers, except he didn’t mention coffee and the Chris Rock-style delivery doesn’t translate well to chalkboards.
The sneaky-great thing about Chalamet — like Benny the barista — is that he doesn’t seem like he’s going to be that funny. Unlike comics like Tracy Morgan or Jim Carrey, he doesn’t take the stage with big “laugh at me” energy. But there’s a madman lurking behind that 37-hair mustache, and he’s all the more hilarious for surprising us again and again. It doesn’t hurt that he brings a youthful sensibility to SNL that reliable hosts like Martin Short and Dave Chappelle can’t deliver.
Plus, you know Lorne Michaels loves sitting with him at the after-party.
