"James Austin Johnson wasn't sure he was going to play Donald Trump during the lead-up to the 2024 election. He knew there would be a lot of eyeballs on those episodes; it was Saturday Night Live's 50th season, and there were plans to bring in stars to portray the key political players. So when it became clear that Johnson was being tapped for the gig, he felt the pressure."
""One morning, I was walking into work and I got a call from an unknown number," Johnson remembers. "I answered it, and it was Mike Myers." The SNL alum reached out to ask Johnson how he did his version of Elon Musk because Myers was slated to impersonate the Trump-allied megabillionaire that night on the show. By this point, Johnson was used to helping cast members with impressions, but Myers was a different story."
James Austin Johnson took on the role of Donald Trump during Saturday Night Live's 50th season and felt significant pressure amid heightened attention. Mike Myers called Johnson seeking guidance for his own Elon Musk impersonation after being slated to portray Musk on the show. Johnson described his Musk as a deliberately bad South African accent with British and Arnold Schwarzenegger influences, likening it to a "goofy South African Bond villain to Dr. Evil." Johnson had experience helping cast members with impressions and hoped his input helped Myers find his own instincts.
Read at Vulture
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