Words: Ellen Kenny
Here’s to hoping Brendan recreates Cáca Milis with Cecily Strong.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) has announced the line up of their 48th season, and a familiar Irish face will be blessing TVs across America. Brendan Gleeson will host the iconic sketch show on October 8, with musical guest R&B singer Willow.
SNL has hosted a string of Irish actors in the past, including Saoirse Ronan and Colin Farrell. The sketch also has a spotted history with Irish-themed sketches, from the impressive gag about Celtic Woman to the absolute waste of Saoirse’s talent in a terrible sketch about Aer Lingus.
Who knows what SNL might do with Brendan? We can probably expect a sketch about Paddington, where Brendan played a terrifying chef, or some sort of sketch set in an Irish pub where Kenan Thompson doesn’t even attempt an Irish accent.
Gleeson has also had some iconic roles as Donald Trump and Mad Eye Moody in Harry Potter, which would be some safe sketch ground. A sketch about the death of the Queen could be on the table, but I think that Brendan has some standards.
What the Irish people really deserve to see is a recreation of Cáca Milis, where Cecily Strong would absolutely body the murderous girlboss Catherine. Or a drag at the horrendous “Oirish” accents the world has been subjected to in “The Ring of Power”. Brendan would also play a really good Dublin Bus driver- if only Pete Davidson was still on SNL, and we could have seen a great sketch about the teenager who stole a Dublin Bus for half an hour.
Brendan is fresh from the Venice Film Festival for The Banshees of Inisherin, directed by Martin McDonagh and co-starring fellow Irish icon Colin Farrell. The black-comedy reportedly received a 15 minute standing ovation at Venice, and most reviewers have tipped Oscars nominations for both Brendan and Colin.
Brendan is also set to star in the Joker musical sequel, along with Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous clown and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. After you star in the nightmare short movie of every Irish Leaving Cert class, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
Elsewhere on District: Department of Education received dozens of abusive letters due to sex-ed updates