Regé-Jean Page on hosting SNL: 'You don’t have time to be precious about anything. You’ve got to trust the gut as you go'
For the small percentage of the population who didn’t get to know Regé-Jean Page on “Bridgerton” , they were likely introduced to the actor via “The actor hosted the Feb. 20 episode, showing off his comedic chops with the Olivia Rodrigo-inspired ‘Drivers License’ sketch and a “Bridgerton” intimacy coordinator spoof . Page also revealed his singing skills, with a quick rendition of “Unchained Melody” during his cheeky monologue.
His worries assuaged, Page ultimately dove right in for the opportunity to host the sketch show. “SNL is all about discovering the unknown, the unexpected,” he says. And from the time he arrived at 30 Rock’s Studio 8H, the entire experience was a whirlwind. “That was the most fun thing about that night: having a two way conversation, in the room, with a bunch of people who don’t know what you’re going to do, who are waiting to be delighted by whatever unexpected thing you throw out,” Page says. “That’s electrifying.”
“They just work,” he says with a laugh. “Don’t be afraid — if we’re getting more pretentious — to be bawdy. Don’t be afraid to shock people or be unexpected. And you have to hit both the low humor and the high humor — hit my intellect, but hit the gut, and you’ve got to do both at the same time.” The bit of back and forth meant the audience was warmed up to play when it was time for the sketches, Page suggests.