Andy Samberg’s tenure onSaturday Night Liveproduced some pretty absurd musical numbers through the Lonely Island, but one of the weirdest actually has a surprisingly important origin. Andy Samberg joined the legendary sketch comedy show in 2005, and remained a valuable member of the cast until 2012. During that time,Digital Shorts and the Lonely Islandhelped catapult the performer into the limelight, leading to a successful career as a film and television star. The star has even returned for certain sketches ofSaturday Night Live’s season 50.
Samberg is one of the subjects of “Five Minutes,” the first episode ofSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night. The documentary charts the history of the show, and the first episode highlights the audition process that led to many stars joining the show. This includes Samberg, who is shown rewatching his original audition. Notably, one of the characters Samberg included in the audition would later be the subject of a goofy and bizarre Lonely Island song, highlighting the surprising importance Samberg’s early characters to his eventual success.
“Ras Trent” Was In Andy Samberg’s SNL Auditon & It Was Based Off A Real Guy
A Chance Encounter In Berkley Led To Ras Trent
The eventual Lonely Island character “Ras Trent” wasactually part of Andy Samberg’s audition tape for the show, and helped set the stage for his later successes.SNL50explores the background and inner workings ofSaturday Night Live, with “Five Minutes” specifically highlighting the audition process. One of the audition tapes played in the episode belongs to Andy Samberg, who introduced a number of goofy characters with props and music. One of these characters was “Ras Trent.”
“Ras Trent” debuted during Saturday Night Live season 34 episode 6, which was hosted by Jon Hamm.
During the documentary,Samberg revealed that the character’s origins stemmed from a chance encounter with a man who said “excuse I"while the performer was growing up in Berkley, California. Recalling the encounter with friends and mocking the delivery for years eventually inspired the character of “Ras Trent.” While Trent is presented in a standard sketch form during the routine, Samberg would eventually bring the character back as the subject of a Lonely Island song in season 34 ofSaturday Night Live, with the song highlighting Ras Trent’s privileged life and appropriation of rasta imagery and music.
“Ras Trent” Set The Stage For The Lonely Island’s Future Success On Saturday Night Live
“Ras Trent” Helped Samberg Get The Job AtSaturday Night Live
“Ras Trent” was one of the elements that impressed the producers ofSaturday Night Liveabout Andy Samberg. His audition for the show highlighted his versatility and uniquely goofy attributes as a performer and writer, and led to him joining the show. Getting the job atSaturday Night Livewas a breakthrough for Samberg, who rose to prominence with theSNLDigital Shortsand the Lonely Island (alongside Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer). The success Samberg found onSaturday Night Liveled to a consistently rising profile in Hollywood and other notable projects likeBrooklyn Nine-Nine.
Without characters like Trent,Samberg might have missed out on all those opportunities. Audiences would have been without later Lonely Island songs like “Dick in a Box” or “Lazy Sunday,” which became cultural touchstones after they were released. Samberg’s later films and shows might not have happened without that success. Other performers later brought their audition characters toSaturday Night Live. However, “Ras Trent” going from a goofy concept to a Lonely Island song highlights how quickly people can become stars in the world ofSaturday Night Live.
Saturday Night Live
Cast
Saturday Night Live is a live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels, premiering in 1975. It features comedy sketches parodying contemporary culture and politics, performed by a rotating cast. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest and includes musical performances.
