Jason Sudeikis might've changed the trajectory of his career completely thanks to TV and 'Ted Lasso'. When he left 'SNL', the actor was making a name for himself in the film category. However, in recent years, all the talk is about his brilliant portrayal of a happy soccer coach, one who sees good in everyone.
Similar to so many others, he had to climb the ladder to get to this position. A major part of the ladder was none other than 'SNL'. Saying goodbye wasn't easy and in truth, the actor admits that he still doesn't feel closure from his decade-long run on the show.
We'll discuss his exit and everything that took place behind the scenes, including his departure and how he wanted to leave the show.
In addition, we'll take a look at how he might finally get the closure he always wanted, as not only is he set to return to the show, but he's set to appear as the host.
Saying Goodbye Wasn't Easy
The actor started on 'SNL' behind the scenes way back when in 2003. It was a decade long-run for the acting veteran, as he finally left on his terms in 2013. Of course, despite all the fame that would follow, saying goodbye was not easy. It was the same for the likes of Adam Sandler as although success followed, leaving was tough at that point in time.
What made the process that much more difficult was the connection he created with the cast, according to his words with Uproxx, "I came up with tremendous generations of on-screen talent that were remarkable behind the scenes. Kristen Wiig always knew what a character looked like. If you saw a silhouette, you’d know what character it is."
"I don’t think that way. That’s the way her incredible, beautiful mind works. Bill [Hader] would start with a voice. Fred [Armisen] would start with a quirk. And I got to watch these elements manifest in 10 pages over the course of 10 years. I think this gave me the option to run at a really, really fast speed with people I was always trying to keep up with or catch, or run alongside."
When it came to his departure, especially creatively, the actor left his way, which left a lot of fans unaware that he parted ways.
He Left His Way
During his last episode, Sudeikis did not appear in a single sketch and following the season finale, it was complete silence from the actor. Although some were confused by this tactic and wondered if trouble took place behind the scenes, that was not the case. This is the way the actor wanted to go out and a lot of the time, according to Huff Post, he was given the creative freedom to do what he wanted.
Although he ended up leaving his way, the actor admits he didn't feel a certain sense of closure since then, "For me, I don’t think the things that define me I ever want to close off. Especially as an artist. I want to access the things that broke my heart and it may hurt to see again or feel again, but gosh darn it, I’d rather have that than feel numb and checked out. I clearly don’t have closure with my experience with SNL, I don’t know … from a distance, everything gets prettier, like a Monet."
Well, almost a decade later, it seems like he might be getting that closure after all. Jason is set to host 'SNL' for the first time ever, in large part, thanks to his success on 'Ted Lasso'.
Jason's Finally Returning To 'SNL'
Despite the fact that he worked at the show for a decade, Sudeikis still can't help but feel excited about hosting the show for the first-ever time. It is a different experience this time around, especially given that he is set to star in most of the sketches during the episode. He elaborated alongside ET Canada.
"Even having worked there as much as I have, I’ve never had the experience of having every sketch, and as the host you’re in 98 per cent of it,” he said, “so that’s what I’m really really excited to do.”
We can only imagine how emotional the experience will be, given the history and how the show kick-started his career. Not to mention the close connections he created along the way. Surely, he'll finally be able to get a bit of closure, something that he lacked during his exit on the show.
