The nation’s leading political portraitist and legendary comedian Jim Carrey will assume the role of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the upcoming 46th season of “Saturday Night Live.”
In a wide-ranging Vulture interview published on Wednesday, showrunner Lorne Michaels disclosed that as the series recalibrates amid the coronavirus pandemic, Carrey will join the late-night sketch show’s cast of regular players to play the former vice president.
“Jim Carrey is going to do Biden,” Michaels told the outlet.
He added that, as has been speculated, Maya Rudolph will portray Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, and that Alec Baldwin will return to play President Donald Trump.
Longtime cast member Beck Bennett will once again play Vice President Mike Pence.
Discussing how Carrey came aboard, Michaels said, “There was some interest on his part. And then we responded, obviously, positively.”
Carrey, he added, “will give the part energy and strength, and … [Laughs.] Hopefully it’s funny.”
Woody Harrelson, Jason Sudeikis and John Mulaney have all previously played the former vice president on the series, with Sudeikis logging the most hours in the part.
Carrey won’t be the only new face when “SNL” returns; Michaels also announced that Punkie Johnson, Lauren Holt and Andrew Dismukes have been added to the cast as featured players.
The new season is set to premiere on Oct. 3 with five consecutive shows, a feat Michaels said the cast and crew has never accomplished before.
“There are four debates and then it’s Halloween, and that’s the weekend before the election. And sadly, if the election gets extended, then we’ll be doing six or seven shows in a row,” he said.
Reflecting on the challenges posed by the pandemic, he said, “The show will be compromised on some levels of production, but it will be recognizable as the show you’ve seen all these years.”
Part of returning to normalcy for “SNL” is having a live audience. After a series of poorly received at-home episodes last season, Michaels confirmed this new batch will be filmed in front of a live but limited studio audience. The production team, he said, is working closely with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to ensure the safety of all involved.