LOS ANGELES — Steve Martin’s next role won’t be the Midwestern politician the internet was hoping he’d portray.
With Maya Rudolph’s hugely popular impression of Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live,” fans clamored for who the late-night sitcom would pick to play Harris’ new replacement, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz.
Sporting similar hairstyles and their signature glasses, many fans were quick to draw comparisons between Walz and Martin, who has been a frequent “SNL” guest but never a formal cast member.
The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels called Martin to offer him the role on the upcoming 50th season, premiering Sept. 28, which he turned down.
“I wanted to say no and by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin said. “I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.’ I was chosen because I have gray hair and glasses.”
Although Martin initially leaned towards the fun, writing on the social platform Threads that he “just learned that Tim Walz wants to go on the road with Marty Short,” he also noted that the impression comes with a long-term commitment to perform on the show.
“It’s ongoing,” Martin told the Times. “It’s not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again. Again, they need a real impressionist to do it. They’re going to find someone really, really good. I’d struggle.”
Rudolph, for her part, will reportedly reprise her Emmy-winning role on the show as Kamala Harris, and she seems to understand the commitment. Deadline reported that Rudolph pushed the filming schedule for the comedy series “Loot” from August to January to accommodate the role through the election season. Rudolph executive produces and stars in the series.
The “Bridesmaids” actor first played “America’s funt” — or “funny aunt” — on “SNL” in 2019 when Harris was running for president and continued the role after she was announced as Joe Biden’s running mate.