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The phone rang, it was Chris!
By Jillian Spellman - Member
MY SNL DREAM
I have dreamed of being on SNL since I was 8 years old. My younger years consisted of watching SNL with my sister Janet and her good friend Tory and re-doing sketches and recording them. I read on SNL.com that you pretty much had to be a comedian in New York or Los Angeles and some how be
discovered from someone looking for talent from SNL. I was definitely no comedian. The thought that you just had to be discovered in some random comedy club. It was definitely one of the reasons I gave up that dream at 13. To me, it was not a realistic dream.
I left Los Angeles and moved to Florida at 13 to live with my grandparents. I started taking choir and learned that I also had a love for music and song writing. I got really into music. Particularly country and pop music and started writing and singing for my high school baseball games and around the area of Port Charlotte, FL. I won several song writing contests and singing contests and even sang with Wynonna Judd. But, acting and comedy was still way stronger in my heart than music so I decided right after high school to move back to Los Angeles.
Once I got to L.A I enrolled in college to major in theater. I was a straight A theater student and loved all my theater classes. While in college I got an interview at A.U Page Enterprise and was quickly hired to work on several television shows. I requested to work on, "Just Shoot Me" since I
grew up watching David Spade, and my request was granted. I worked on that show for 2 1/2 years. I also worked on, "Friends", "Will and Grace", "King of Queens", "Less than Perfect" and several others. While working at the studio I was asked to be an assistant for John Ritter. I accepted and although it was only for the, "Family Television Awards" working with John was amazing. I didn't have a great opinion of him at the time but at the end of the night I thought he was a really great guy. A perfectionist. But in a good way.
While in college I re-did and performed several SNL sketches along with my own characters that I had made up. Still singing around town and doing gigs at the time. I was an extra in, "Little Nicky" and "Seabiscuit". Anytime we did not have enough background people for television shows I was immediately pulled from backstage and sent out to the floor to be background. The experience
was amazing. I learned a lot and was making a lot of connections, but I still had to know what it would be like to go to Nashville. So I left.
I got to Nashville and was very disappointed. I heard from everyone I had what it took to make it. Although at the same time everyone was always about the money. Every recording studio had a different price and everyone was very fake. I hated it. I
couldn't believe that Los Angeles was more easy going and honest. I mean, you'd think it would be the exact opposite. I felt like I was at a dead end.
I still watched SNL religiously and wrote sketches and messed around with character ideas. My favorites were: Chris Kattan, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Rachel Dratch and Gilda Radner. So one night after watching SNL something prompted me to go online and look up stuff on SNL. I got a hold of an article about Tina Fey and Second City.
I had never heard of the school and then went to secondcity.com and read the list of SNL players that went to the school. I was in shock as to how many cast members went. Called friends and family and my SNL dream was revived. I had an incredible amount of support and everyone just wanted to get me to Chicago. While awaiting the move I looked for Improv schools in Nashville to get ready for Second City and found a new school that was about to open called, "Improv Nashville" (improvnashville.com). I then
started taking classes as soon as it opened and started my love of SNL all over again.
CHRIS KATTAN
I have perfected Chris's impression of Gollum. My favorites are, "Mr Peepers", "Mango" and "Mr. Forrester". I love "Night at the Roxbury". I could watch it over and over again. I think we all wish there was a second one. Maybe someday. Also the one with Amy and Chris, "My wife won't get out of the stove" cracks me up!
Wondering what Chris has been up to since he left SNL I went to see if he had a website and found chriskattan.net. I joined his fan club, Kattaners Club, and Risa and everyone were so nice and so down to earth. I got the membership package in the mail that came with a cool card and other fun stuff and got to meet a lot of sweet people.
Then the phone call from Chris contest started. I thought, "I need to enter this." How cool would it be to be able to talk to one of my biggest influences on SNL? Not long after joining the club I won 100 points which could be redeemed for extra entries for the contest. I used them all towards the contest plus some that I got in the mail as apart of joining.
I had a strong feeling I would win. You know how sometimes you just know something? I guess a dejvue kind of feeling. It was weird, I even talked to my roommate, Lauren. I said, "I have a weird feeling I am going to win."
When checking my e-mail I saw, "Jillian, you're the winner of the Chris Kattan phone call contest". I was excited and weirded out at the same time. I went into my roommate's room and said, "It's weird, but I won the phone call from Chris". She was excited for me and I immediately had no idea what I was going to ask him. I really wanted to talk to him about improv, Second City, SNL and some of his characters.
Then the email came: "Chris is going to call you sometime after 6pm Pacific time", 8pm my time. 9pm came along and no phone call yet. I kept checking my e-mail hoping that Chris was okay. Then around 10:30 my time the phone rang. It was Chris!
- Chris- "How are you?"
- Jillian- "I am fantastic."
- Chris- "You're fantastic are you?"
- Jillian- "Yes I am. How are you?"
- Chris- "I'm good. Sorry it took me so long to call you. I lost my cell phone. Then someone called
me and let me know they found it and I had to call Risa for your number."
- Jillian- "It's okay. I am just glad you got it back and that you're okay."
- Chris- "Yeah I really need to get a warranty for it."
- Jillian- "No don't do that. I used to work for T-Mobile and it's a waste of money to do that."
- Chris- "Really? Why?"
- Jillian- "Well you pay 5.99 a month to have the insurance/warranty and then what they don't tell
you is that when you lose your phone, etc they have you pay an additional fee which is usually
around 100.00. So, it's a waste of money."
- Chris- "Wow I have already learned so much on this phone call."
- Jillian- Laughing
- Chris- "So where am I calling?"
- Jillian- "Tennessee."
- Chris- "Oh I have never been there."
- Jillian- "You're not missing anything."
- Chris- "Really?"
- Jillian- "Yeah it's pretty boring here. I can't wait till I leave in November to go to Second City in
- Chicago."
- Chris- "Oh yeah, you're going to Second City."
- Jillian- "Yeah I am really excited about it."
- Chris- "You sound excited."
That's how we got started. We talked for about 30 minutes. A lot to try to remember to share with you guys, but here's some:
- Jillian- "So what kind of advice do you have about stage fright? Cause I have it a little bit and I
need to get rid of it immediately."
- Chris- "It will come in time. We all have it. The more you perform the more comfortable you will
get. It just takes time."
- Jillian- "Hopefully Second City will open some doors."
- Chris- "You just need to get yourself out there. The more shows you do (improv) the more you are
likely to be discovered."
- Jillian- "I am trying to write more sketches, but I just write a lot of 'Weekend
Update' material (which can be found at www.myspace.com/iheartimprov in the blog section).
- Chris- "You'll get a lot of sketch ideas from improv. I have always been more of a physical
performer."
- Jillian- "Yeah I am no comedian."
- Chris- "Me either. I can't remember jokes. Hold on I need to give my dog some water."
- Jillian- "No problem. What kind of dog is he?"
- Chris- "A Chiwawa named, Pepper. Do you have an animals?"
- Jillian- "Yeah I have a cat named, Tilly. I have had her since she was little, she's 7."
- Jillian- "I loved that character you did, (I went blank on the characters name so I just said) 'Sid
aday sid aday drinky papa'."
- Chris- "Mr Forrester, 'Sid aday sid aday drinky papa'."
- Jillian- (I laughed) "Yeah that was an awesome character. How did you come up with Mr. Peepers?"
- Chris- "When I was doing improv at Groundlings. I realized when I jumped on someone, that I could not
only stay on them, but could lean back and have movement. Then inspired by Jay Leno's animal shows
when the animals get all crazy. I thought I could be the missing link between human and animal. Then
I wanted to see what kind of fruit I could eat. I realized I could eat an apple really fast and Mr. Peepers was created."
It was unbelievable. I just talked to Chris Kattan.
We talked about a lot more, a bunch of random stuff and also about several SNL players past and present. I had questions I had forgotten to ask. It was cool though. It was just like a convo I would have had with a good friend. Chris was sweet and down to earth. I hope to meet him or talk to him again sometime down
the road. Till then, it was a great experience I will never forget and I am glad that I was given
the chance to do it.
Thanks Chris and Risa!
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