Mike Myers Recalls Having an 'Anxiety Attack' After Meeting Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman and Other “Saturday Night Live” Costars

Mike Myers had major nerves on Saturday Night Live.

The comedian, 61, recalled his early days on the long-running sketch comedy show during 2024’s Vulture Festival.

"When I got to Saturday Night Live and saw how f---ing good these guys were, I was scared s---less. I had an anxiety attack," he said, naming his former costars Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon and Jan Hooks.

"It was unbelievable," Myers added.

The Emmy winner, who was on the show from 1989 to 1995, recalled being cast after performing at a Second City show

"I did my sketch, 'Wayne and Nancy,' where I come from the audience," he explained. "And I came from the audience and it f---ng killed, which was unbelievable because I had only been in the show for like two seconds."

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He continued, "It was cheerstomps and whistles. It was a jet taking off. I don't know what happened, but the audience just went for it and loved it."

Myers also performed in the closing improv scene that night, which received applause from the audience.

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Two weeks later, the Shrek star said he was in Chicago when he got "a call from [SNL creator] Lorne Michaels. And he said, 'I understand you do a Wayne character.' "

During his time on SNL, Myers notably performed as his character Wayne in the recurring sketch "Wayne's World," in which he played the titular long-haired metalhead as he hosted a weekly program from his parent’s basement. The sketch often starred Carvey as Wayne's best friend, Garth.

Related: 'Wayne's World' Turns 30! Mike Myers, Dana Carvey and More on Making a Comedy Classic

The sketch inspired a 1992 movie and its 1993 sequel, both starring Myers and Carvey and produced by Lorne Michaels.

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In a recent interview with Vulture, Myers said the character was inspired by his own life at the time. The first versions of Wayne reflected his "punk rock" era, he said, and his willingness to experiment.

"One of the things about starting out in show business up in Canada is there’s no money in it, which is kind of great because in a weird way it makes you experiment more," he said.

He added that Canada was a place to grow and "get your 10,000 hours."

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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