It’s hard to imagine many characters having a better introduction than this year Chevy chase in Jason Reitman‘Saturday evening’. In the film about the very first episode of “Saturday Night Live” on October 11, 1975, Chase almost flies onto the screen. He trips over a garbage can and falls flat on his face, a move reminiscent of one of Chase’s signature pratfalls. “Sorry, I tripped on my penis,” Chase says after standing up – a perfect button for the scene, a punchline that underlines his confidence and attitude in those early days of his career.

“I was doing pratfalls in the apartment all the time. So I felt really prepared going into the audition,” said Chase actor Cory Michael Smit says Gold Derby. “One of the first things I did in the room was trip over a chair for Jason, which really worried him, but it worked.”

Smith says they shot Chase’s introduction scene 22 times, fall after fall. “I’ve actually only messed up my knee once, which is pretty good,” Smith says with a laugh.

Previously best known for playing the Riddler in the television series “Gotham” and his collaborations with Todd Haynes (including a memorable performance in “May December” last year), Smith says he pretty much chased the role of Chevy on “Saturday Night.”

“I thought the idea of ​​this was really brave and interesting and a little bit risky in the way the original show was, which is pretty cool,” he says. “But then you get the job, and it’s a sacred moment.”

During his conversation with Reitman, Smith knew the filmmaker didn’t want his actors to emulate the “Saturday Night Live” legends they played on screen. Instead, Reitman hoped for his cast – inclusive Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Dylan O’Brien as Then Akyroyd, Lamorne Morris as Garrett MorrisAnd Matthew Rhys as George Carlin – would capture the energy and feeling of their real-life counterparts.

“When I work, the script is the Bible,” says Smith. “I dive in and study a script over and over again until that world feels alive and familiar to me. But when I read the script for “Saturday Night,” I quickly realized that this wasn’t the way to get here. That’s not the answer because I didn’t know yet what Chevy Chase would do. So that was the assignment.”

Smith’s preparation was simple: He watched countless hours of Chase’s film work and interviews to help pick up the comedian’s instincts. “Fletch” became his favorite movie, one he streamed over and over again. “It was a bull’s eye for me. He’s extremely charming, very free… it’s a really great performance,” says Smith of the 1985 feature.

What Smith also noted is that Chase defies impersonation no matter what. “He doesn’t have any little esoteric details about his personality. He doesn’t have a strange voice that you can imitate,” he says. “So it’s this unbridled confidence where he can just move around and like little physical jokes and drop these very dry, fast lines.”

Smith praises the script that Reitman co-wrote Gil Kenan because of the way it weaves together all the characters and energy. But as an actor, he was still prepared with additional material.

“I used to come in every day and propose these ideas to Jason because it was imperative for me to feel like I had a commentary on everything and everyone at all times. That way the lines can be casual and a bit out of the box and very easy. They were lines that weren’t trying to make anyone laugh or provide a punch line,” Smith says. What he was trying to do, he adds, was “get rid of deception. You just have to be on set and really believe and have confidence in what you’re doing. Because Chevy is that guy. He has more self-confidence than anyone.”

“Saturday Night” unfolds in real time in the 90 minutes before the first “SNL” broadcast. As a result, it’s not a spoiler to note that the film ends with Chase shouting the immortal words that have started every episode for 50 years: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”

Smith says he looked at the real one opening sketch several times, just to capture the energy on Chase’s face. “I didn’t want to make a replica. I wanted to get close without doing an impersonation, so it felt a bit alive,” says Smiths.

But it wasn’t just his performance that made the moment special.

“Jason called Cut right before I was going to say, ‘live from New York.’ He had tricked the entire cast. And every time I look at all those beaming faces from the stage – because at this point we have all fallen in love with each other. We had a great time creating this very special project,” says Smith. “And I say this iconic phrase that represents 50 years of the television institution that is so important to our culture. So when I finally get to say it, everyone starts cheering. Yes, it’s part of the movie. But actually they were all delighted. So that was just a very special moment. It felt really cool and special to do that that day and look at the beaming faces of my new friends.”

“Saturday Night” is in theaters now.