Yahoo Lifestyle Pete Davidson Says 5 Words From Leonardo DiCaprio Calmed His Pre-Show 'SNL' Jitters
Pete Davidson still recalls five little words from Leonardo DiCaprio that calmed him down.
The “Saturday Night Live” alum was a fresh face when the show marked its 40th anniversary event back in 2015. Davidson shared Thursday that it was “the most anxiety-provoking” show that anyone, including senior cast members, could’ve participated in.
“The audience is like, Jack Nicholson, Taylor Swift,” he told Jimmy Fallon on the “Tonight Show.” “It’s not a normal audience. You’re like, dressed like a potato … and then Jack Nicholson is just sitting there.”
Davidson was only 21 years old at the time but managed to keep calm — as he only had the “one job” of introducing a category with fellow “SNL” alum Leslie Jones — and said they were being counted down by a crew member when something truly magical happened.
“And then once [the crew member] said, ‘Five seconds,’ Leonardo DiCaprio tugged my shirt,” Davidson said Thursday. “And he had this big ‘Revenant’ beard — and he just went, ‘I like what you’re doing.’ And then she was like, ‘Live!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, hi, everybody.’”
“He touched me,” Davidson said.
The native New Yorker has come a long way since his small cameo in 2013’s “Trainwreck.” Davidson recalled Thursday that his co-star in the film, fellow “SNL” alum Bill Hader, recommended him to the show’s renowned creator, Lorne Michaels.
Ten years ago, Davidson reflected, he auditioned and “somehow got in.”
He’s since acted in viral sketches opposite mega stars like Eminem and Jennifer Lopez.
While he left “SNL” after eight seasons in 2022, Davidson hasn’t forgotten his colleagues: he and “SNL” writer Colin Jost bought a decommissioned State Island ferry that year. On Thursday, he said they plan to turn it into “something interesting” — and urged fans to stay patient.
“A hotel up top, movie theater, an entertainment theater, some little shopping kiosks,” Davidson told Fallon. “And, you know, it’s only been two years, and people are like, ‘I guess it’s dead,’ and it’s like, ‘We need $100 million!’ Give us a second.”
