Tina Fey says Bill Murray gave a pep talk to the writers of “SNL50”: 'I kept waiting for it to turn into a bit'

Tina Fey says that the SNL50 writing staff received words of encouragement from an unexpected supporter: Bill Murray.

The 30 Rock mastermind reflected on the pressures of writing the forthcoming Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special during an interview with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside her friend and frequent collaborator Amy Poehler. "I know a little bit about what's taking shape because I am working on it as a staff writer, which I'm pretty excited about," Fey said of the three-hour special. "Me, Seth [Meyers], the great Paula Pell, Emily Spivey, John Mulaney — we're all coming back as staff writers."

Fey said that the one-time gig immediately brought her back to her old habits and attitudes from working on the show in the 2000s. "It is hilarious, 'cause going back to being on the writing staff, basically, I immediately regressed to, I just was so grouchy," she said. "I was just like, 'I feel like I'm working really hard.' By the way, I'm responsible for like two minutes of content."

Related: How to watch Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special, SNL50 live concert, and more

Amid the stress of the writing process, "something amazing happened," Fey said. "I was there the other night in a meeting with everybody, with [SNL producer Steve] Higgins and everybody. And everyone was just like, you know, grinding down, like, 'Okay, well what's it gonna be?' This, that."

The group had an unexpected visitor that alleviated the tension in the room. "An angel appeared in the form of Bill Murray," Fey said. "Just wandered into the meeting. And he came in and he was in this incredibly wonderful mood and he just was like, 'Hey guys, what’s going on in here? Maybe open a window; you seem like you’re all about to cry.'"

"And then he just gave us this pep talk," Fey continued. "I could have started crying because this is the pep talk that I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid watching Meatballs. And he’s just like, 'Show’s going to be amazing. I’m so excited. I’m seeing everybody at rehearsal, I feel like we’re all brothers and sisters.'"

Related: Stuart?! Watch Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Fred Armisen have 'Californians' reunion ahead of SNL50

The actress said that she didn't expect such a sincere gesture from Murray. "I kept waiting for it to turn into a bit, and it never did," Fey recalled. "He just was like, 'It's gonna be wonderful.' And I just was like, 'Oh my God!'"

Elsewhere in the conversation, Fey, Poehler, and Fallon — who all worked together on SNL in the 2000s — reminisced about the misery of late-night sketch writing. "We would all have to stay up all night for writing night, which is that Tuesday night," Poehler recalled. "Which still, on a Tuesday night, sometimes, I get a stomach ache."

Fey concurred while discussing the SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night documentary on Peacock. "The one about the writers made me feel really sick," she said. "The body keeps the score."

Related: Rachel Dratch revives SNL icon Debbie Downer for Real Housewives spoof

Fey also said that all-nighters prompted unfortunate eating habits in the SNL offices. "You would come into work at like 5 o'clock, and you would just know that at 9 p.m., you were gonna eat pasta from Carmine's, and then around 3 a.m., you were gonna walk back through that room and take that same pasta from Carmine's out of the garbage and keep eating it," she remembered.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Fallon said that his own writing sessions often failed to yield anything useful. "I would try to write something and just not write anything," he said. "And I would go home at 3 in the morning and go, like, 'Gosh, I can't believe I didn't write anything funny at all! What is wrong with me! I couldn't type anything!'"

SNL50: The Anniversary Special airs at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday on NBC and Peacock. Watch the full conversation between Fey, Poehler, and Fallon above.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly