Timothée Chalamet used his Saturday Night Live monologue to celebrate the end of the SAG-AFTRA labor strike.
“I do feel lucky to be hosting after the SAG strike ended because up until two days ago, actors couldn’t talk about their movies. The only thing I was allowed to talk about was that I have a commercial coming out,” Chalamet, 27, began his monologue on Saturday, November 11. “It’s an ad for [Bleu de] Chanel perfume, directed by Martin Scorcese. And let me tell you, when you get that call that Martin Scorcese wants to direct you, the first thing you think is, ‘Man, I really hope it’s a perfume commercial.’”
The actor continued: “And now the strike is over and it’s, like, all returning to this magic world where actors can once again talk about their projects.”
To tease his upcoming role as Willy Wonka in the aptly titled Wonka prequel, Chalamet was handed a cane as the band started playing the opening notes to “Pure Imagination.” (“Pure Imagination” was Gene Wilder’s big ballad in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.)
“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of shameless self-promotion,” Chalament sings, switching up the lyrics. “It’s OK I can say … that my new film Wonka is out in theaters December 15. Fandango keyword, ‘Hugh Grant.’ Fandango.com keyword, ‘Damn Hugh Grant got that Oompa Loompa dump truck.’”
He keeps his tune and adds, “If you want to view a three-and-a-half-hour film, go see Killers of the Flower Moon / Or just wait for Part 2 of Dune. Just make sure before to use the bathroom. … It’s all done / And we won / No more news of SAG …”
SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) reached a tentative deal with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) earlier this month, ending their four-month strike. The new guidelines guarantee a 7-percent wage increase, benefit plans and restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence in actors’ contracts.
As Chalamet gushed about the news in his song, SNL cast member Marcello Hernandez suggested they modernize the track by adding in lyrics about their similarities. Since they both have “baby faces,” the twosome then burst into a rap lamenting their youthful appearances.
“This song is dedicated to all the baby-faced dudes out there,” Chalamet quips as Hernandez, 26, gives a shout-out to Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars, who also belong to the same club.
They duet: “Check it! I got a baby face, but my hips don’t lie / Say I’m a bad kid, bitch I’m a bad guy. I got a baby face, but I’m hung like my dad / Trust me, baby, I’m the best you ever had / I got a face like a young’un but the body of a dude / So hide your wife, hide your grandma too.”
Fellow SNL stars Punkie Johnson and Kenan Thompson also made cameos, discussing similar experiences.
“Whoa, y’all really going to do a baby face song without your boy?” Thompson, 45, raps “Yo, yo, I’ve had this face since Kenan & Kel / I age like a vampire, I age like Pharrell [Williams] / All my life I’ve been a cutie on TV / They think I’m 19 but really I’m 63.”
After the monologue wrapped, Chalamet starred in a series of sketches, including a spoof of celebrities auditioning to read Britney Spears’ The Woman in Me audiobook. Chloe Fineman impersonated Chalamet, who took on the role of 80-year-old Scorcese.
Another memorable skit saw Chalamet mimic musician Troye Sivan but “played by an American who can’t do an Australian accent.” After Chalamet delivered a nearly uncanny “bye diva,” musical guest Boygenius (comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus) stepped out as Sivan, 28, lookalikes.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.
