“Saturday Night Live” has tapped Jim Carrey to play Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden as the show gears up to put a satirical touch on the run up to Election Day – typically one of the series’ most influential periods.
Carrey gets a role that has been played by others in recent years. Former “SNL” cast member Jason Sudeikis played an affable, loud-talking version of Biden in past seasons, and Woody Harelson took on Biden duties as the show lampooned recently Democratic primary debates.
NBC plans to launch the 46th season of “Saturday Night Live” on October 3, the start of five consecutive broadcasts of the program. The show is planning to have a limited in-studio audience at Rockefeller Center for the upcoming season, and will work with authorities to stay abreast of health and safety concerns.
“SNL” plans to add three new featured players to its cast this season, creating one of the bigger groups of “Not Ready for Prime-Time Players” in the recent history of the show. NBC has said the program intends to bring back the entire cast of last season.
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Lauren Holt, an actor and comedian; Punkie Johnson, a comedian and writer; and Andrew Dismukes, a stand-up comic who has been a staff writer at “SNL” since its 43rd season will all join the cast for the late-night show’s 46th cycle, slated to begin October 3.
Holt was a house performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater in Los Angeles and starred in the independent web series “The Filth” as well as the short film “Parent Teacher Conference.” Johnson’s recent credits include “Space Force,” “Corporate,” “Adam Ruins Everything” and “Bill Burr Presents: The Ringers.” And Dismukes was selected for the 2017 New Faces Showcase at the Just for Laughs Festival and has performed at other festivals, including Comedy Central’s Colossal ClusterFest and the New York Comedy Festival.