Taran Killam Told to Not Mention ’12 Years a Slave Role’ to SNL Hosts

Taran Killam may have been proud to star in the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave, but that didn’t mean he needed to tell seemingly everyone about it.

The Saturday Night Live alum recently told Dana Carvey and David Spade on their Fly on the Wall podcast that he learned SNL creator Lorne Michaels had “said something” about Killam constantly mentioning his work on the 2013 film to guest hosts.

Killam admitted he “was terrible at pitching” SNL sketches, so he would attempt to relate to hosts by sharing that he starred in 12 Years a Slave, which earned three Academy Awards, including best picture.

“I did a bit for almost an entire season, where I would start to pitch the host on an idea,” Killam recalled. “I was like, ‘Well, I know you’re in a movie with a plane, so that’s great, and I thought we could play pilots because, you know, when I was in 12 Years a Slave, what I found about the process that was most rewarding…’ and then I would go real indulgent.”

While the High Potential actor noted that the bit “got some chuckles at first,” it then “was terrible.” He even recounted SNL writer Bryan Tucker telling him at one point, “Don’t do that anymore. Lorne has said something. Don’t do that.”

12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, was set in the pre-Civil War United States and followed Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free Black man from upstate New York who is abducted and sold into slavery. Killam played Abram Hamilton, one of two men who kidnapped Solomon.

Killam was also a cast member on SNL from 2010 to 2016.