Darrell Hammond

For the past 12 seasons, Darrell Hammond has been a Saturday Night Live mainstay, bringing to comedic life a huge range of famous figures with his uncanny impressions of Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, Regis Philbin, Chris Matthews, Donald Trump, Sean Connery and Bill O'Reilly, to name just a few. At 51, he ranks as SNL's longest-running cast member and has built a thriving career as a stand-up comedian and supporting actor in films such as Scary Movie 3, New York Minute and Agent Cody Banks. Now Hammond has taken on a fresh—and, to hear him tell it, daunting—challenge as Vice Principal Douglas Panch in the Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Hammond plays the bee's wordsmith as a '70s-style uber-nerd with a mild manner and slicked-back hair. During a recent curtain call, the star looked vaguely surprised to be taking bows alongside his fellow cast members and responded shyly to theatergoers seated around Circle in the Square's gym-like set who reached out for a high-five. He's equally laid-back in conversation, with none of the stereotypical fast-talking style of a comedian. But it's clear Hammond is happy to be spending his summer vacation on Broadway.

How did this opportunity come about for you?
A call came through to my manager and agent that there was an offer for me to do the show for about six weeks. Obviously anyone in show business would be very flattered and excited to say that they were on Broadway, so I totally wanted to do it. The next challenge became, How do I learn to function in this new world, and how long is it going to take me? I am a stranger to this medium, and I've been working very, very hard. I go in a little early and stay a little late and practice and do all kinds of things to try to make myself good enough to hold my own out there.

Are you enjoying yourself?
It's starting to be fun. I don't have a musical background, so there was a lot of concern on my part about making sure I got all the cues right and wanting to serve everyone else in the play. There are so many music cues, and if you blow a couple you could affect the rest of the show. It's a giant ensemble. On SNL, if you make a mistake, the whole thing comes to an end within a couple of minutes, but you need to try not to make mistakes in something that lasts an hour and 45 minutes.

This role seems like the perfect way to get your feet wet in the theater. Playing the wisecracking vice principal is a good fit for you.
I hope that's true. I'm doing my best out there, and I'm getting less notes than I got in the beginning [laughs]. I had no idea what I was doing when I started, and I got lots of notes, thank god. I'm starting to relax a little and have fun. I don't have that much self-confidence about this new world, so I'm just trying to prove myself. The feedback has been good, and I hope you're right—that this part is right for me and that there would be something else after this. Obviously I'm enchanted by the idea of doing another Broadway show. I just hope I can do well enough in this one.

What do you like about the show?
It's super funny. It kills, are you kidding me? But also, without going to extremes, it's really touching and moving. Three-quarters of the way through the show, things begin to occur to let you know that there are some huge foundational experiences going on behind the scenes for the characters in the play. And those moments are always powerful to me. The music is great, it's fun to listen to the songs, and the performers are world-class. It's a place that I've loved being in and trying to hold my own.

Are you able to ad-lib at all?
We've started ad-libbing lately. Jennifer [Simard], who plays [spelling bee moderator] Rona, is really funny, and she has more confidence about ad-libbing. When I do stand-up, half of what I do is ad-libbed, but here, if you ad-lib, other people are affected by it. In stand-up, it's just you. I'm getting more confidence in myself in doing that but she's guiding me into it. It seems to work really well with the characters.

You speak about theater as being intimidating, but I can't imagine anything more scary than stand-up comedy.
I started out trying to be funny working at a bar in Hell's Kitchen, the Skyline Motor Inn. My first audience members were that crowd—the longshoremen and the teamsters. They were the first people to encourage me, to say, "Hey, you're pretty funny; you should keep trying to do this." But theater is a different medium.

Had you ever acted onstage?
I did a couple of a plays in college [at the University of Florida] and some summer stock when I got out of college years ago. I did a Shaw play, How He Lied to Her Husband and then I did When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?

Was Broadway theater on your radar before this opportunity came along?
I'm very aware of it. It's one of my weirdnesses that I see shows I like many times. I'm sure I've seen Les Miz 20 times.

You're kidding!
Oh sure. I've seen Beauty and the Beast at least 10 times. I'm fascinated by the crescendo that comes when a big Broadway cast hits a note at the same time. I love hearing the people sing and watching them dance.

Could you see yourself in a musical?
I'm not sure what's appropriate for me. I don't think that I'm going to try to exist on the same level with a Broadway singer. I can talk-sing, but I wouldn't try to pretend that I can do what they do.

You've done 12 seasons of Saturday Night Live, five more than any other cast member. What keeps the show exciting for you?
I have to learn [impressions of] famous people in a matter of days, and then I get to play them in front of millions of people. There's a terror that comes with that, as well. You can't always get the characters ready in time. Sometimes you go out there and they're only half cooked.

Christine Ebersole, this year's Best Actress Tony winner, has been very honest in talking about how difficult she found Saturday Night Live in the one season she was on it. What does it take to be a successful cast member?
I'm not sure, to be honest with you. After all this time, I'm still not sure how the whole thing comes together. There's a mystery behind it. The schedule isn't [the hard part]; the only thing that's a killer for me is the pressure that comes when someone says on Friday "Can you do this person by tomorrow?" Or even if they say on Wednesday, "Can you do this person by Saturday?" People can take years to learn how to do an impression. The whole thing about SNL people is we do things fast. It's only one week.

Have you ever said to the writers, "I can't do that person."
No. A couple of times, I've said, "I might not be able to have that ready in time," because some of them are so complex. I haven't made a sound like that before, or I've never seen a speech irregularity like that, or I've never heard anyone who has rhythms like that. Or maybe my research isn't right, or I need more research and there's only 16 hours left [until show time]. Or five hours left.

Are you a father figure to the younger SNL performers?
Oh my god, I doubt it [laughs]. I don't think so, I'm sorry to say. They may come to me for advice sometimes. I'm aware of how friendly everyone is and how much I like them and how much fun we have together, but I'm not aware of being someone that anyone looks up to or wants to be like or wants to consult too often.

How do you avoid rivalry and jealousy in the cast?
It's sort of like playing on a high school football team. You understand that there'll be competition, and you've got to be the kind of person to say, "Well, I didn't get that part and someone else did," and then deal with it. It's a choice you have to make. Yes, we compete every week, but no one takes it personally.

How long do you see yourself staying on Saturday Night Live?
I have no way of knowing. It's gone much longer than I thought it would. I couldn't have imagined that it would go on this long. All of us over there—the people who produce and direct and create the show—have been through a great deal together over the years, so whatever decision that's made will be a healthful one for everyone. But I don't really know how much longer it will go.

You aren't set yet to return this fall?
There are talks going on right now that have a lot of positive aspects; we have these talks every summer, and I'm not able to comment on what the producers and directors will do.

Would you be interested in doing a sitcom?
I don't care. I mean, I've never been offered a part on one, so I would have to see a script. I just don't know.

You don't strike me as hugely ambitious or envious of anyone else's career.
No. I do every job that people offer me, and I've worked in just about every field. My life has turned out a lot better than I thought it would! Sometimes people say to me, "Why would you keep doing comedy clubs?" And I say, "Because I'm a freaking stand-up! I'm a performer. I'm a comic. This is where you do comedy." I'll go around the country and do four shows on a weekend in a club, and I think people are like, "Isn't it time in your career not to do clubs anymore?" That's never occurred to me. If I'm performing at a corporate event or in a theater or doing a 10-minute set trying out new jokes in the Village, it doesn't really matter. I'm a comedian, whatever stage I'm on.

When did you realize you had a gift for comedy and for doing impressions?
I never really considered it a gift. When I was a kid, I hung out with lots of people who did impressions and made fun of each other. I felt like we were all funny and everyone could do good impressions. My mother was actually better at doing impressions than I am. I think she had more talent; she just wasn't that interested in it.

Were you a joker as a child?
No. I did impressions along with everyone else, but I never dominated. I didn't try to be funny and I didn't think I was funny.

What's your best impression?
It varies. Some impressions are better than others although they may not be as vocally accurate. Even if you only get 70 percent of the impression, the whole point in comedy is [asking], Is it good enough to be funny? You don't want to say, "I will only speak at 100 percent accuracy," because that may limit the type of language or rhythm you would use out there. You want to be somewhere between 70 and 100 percent.

Which famous person is the most fun to do?
I don't really have one in particular. I know there are things that audience members like, that people shout out when I play clubs. Sean Connery, Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton…

Are you political?
No, I do character-driven stuff. I don't get into policy or anything like that. It's more, "Isn't Clinton funny when he does this?" It's possible to do impressions in a way that lets people on both of the aisle laugh at the same time.

Has Spelling Bee whetted your appetite to do more live theater?
Sure. Absolutely, as long as I can continue to improve.

Stand-up comedy, TV, live theater—talk about three different mediums to work in!
I don't know if I can thrive in all three. I know that I want to try.

See Darrell Hammond in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Circle in the Square Theatre.