Because Bill Hader is the king of SNL, but also a master of losing it in the live performances.
Bill Hader has been firstly cast in SNL in 2005. He’s been the member of the crew for many years and became one of the most wildly popular actors among the fans of the show. But what is not so often discussed, is how often he couldn’t keep a straight face on screen. Since I’ve been a fan of SNL for a long time now, I decided to gather the funniest moments of Bill Hader – the very sketches, when he lost his control totally.
#5 Royal Family Doctor
We kick things off with Bill keeping himself away from a burst of laughter. Which – as yo will see in the next examples – is rather unprecedented.
Martin Short’s exaggeration kept Bill almost constantly on the edge and you can see that Hader wouldn’t keep it any longer. The moment Armisen appears – the favorite co-member of the cast of Hader – the sketch abruptly ends. If that wasn’t the case, I am certain that Bill would completely lose it.
See the video below.
#4 Stefon on St.Patrick’s Day
There is something in Stefon – a weird homosexual character, who appeared several times as a news guest – that always breaks Hader. I mean, from the start, Bill’s face is hiding an internal burst of laughter.
The first “it’s coming” moment is around 1:20, but the moment he really loses it is at 1:50, when Stefon explains the game called “The Stranger” and uses the pun about Billy Joel’s hand imitating Bruce Springsteen’s. If you want more, go to 3:00 and see Bill Hader as he can’t even stay in the character any longer. The final nail to the coffin is the moment John Mulaney joins the sketch – Stefon is on longer with us, because Hader can’t handle that. It’s absolutely hilarious.
#3 The Californians – Stuar Has Cancer
Fred Armisen and Bill Hader crack each other up for fun – they even admitted it in one of the interviews. In the case of this particular sketch, you can’t blame Hader for not keeping a straight face. The retarded accent of Armisen, which causes him to speak gibberish, makes his character even more cringeworthy than his appearance. Hader’s first losing it around 1:10 and just look at how hard he tries to fight it. It’s even better to see Kristen Wiig, who – although keeps the momentum going – looks as if she’s also about to burst into laughter.
#2 Short Term Memory Loss Theater
Take a peek at the thumbnail. It says it all.
There is a story behind this particular piece. Early in the sketch, Fred Armisen enters the scene, wearing a jacket. This was not scripted at all and Armisen admitted he did it only to provoke Hader. It worked fabulously. Hader didn’t know what to do with the jacket and it was the moment Armisen knew he would crack.
#1 Dress Rehearsal: Ricardo and Alexi
In this particular case, it’s Fred Armisen who’s the main star of breaking the character. Right from the start, he just can’t keep it all together. The Italian and Eastern European doormen – Hader and Armisen – exchange views with the passing guests of the hotel and the results are fatal to both. While Armisen can’t stop laughing, Hader leaves the scene for some time, because theere’s no way he could stay in the frame.
It all starts around 1:15, when Armisen loses it completely. Then, the best moment is a total random “juicy me”, which could have stopped the entire sketch (at 3:25). The real deals comes at 4:00 and well – just watch it.
Did you recall any other moment of Bill Hader’s career in SNL worth mentioning? Share in the comments!
