In a new SNL behind-the-scenes video featuring Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, Seidell utilizes one of those tiny microphones often seen on TikTok. It’s an aesthetic popularized in short social videos, used as a cue to indicate this clip may have better audio quality than most — but Day couldn’t help but mock the prop, going into faux reporter mode and offering, “I’m here, live from a dollhouse” up top.
Day calls it back in the shot that closes the video, taking on a serious newscaster voice as he says, “For Tiny Mic (Mike?) News, I’m Mikey Day,” then making his own local news sound effect.
The writing partners teamed for a behind-the-scenes clip where they dig into what made Nate Bargatze uniquely perfect for the modern classic “Washington’s Dream” sketch and its recent sequel. They also share their favorite sketches from SNL years past.
Honing in on Bargatze’s ability to make that sketch click, Day praised his completely deadpan expression.
“I think it became clear, especially at dress rehearsal, Nate, he was perfect,” Day says. “He’s got a fantastic blank stare that kind of matches Washington, when you think about all of Washington’s portraits.”
When they drop a side-by-side with Bargatze and a famed Washington painting, the stand-up bears a striking resemblance to the founding father’s own dead-eyed expression. Day also does his own impression of the Bargatze/Washington blank stare, looking straight into camera as if staring into your soul.
Seidell shared that he had the initial idea for the sketch, but that it was originally set at Washington’s inauguration, and the sketch “was not what it became.”
After hearing Bargatze was set to host the show again this season, Seidell says he and Day began brainstorming jokes and ideas for a sequel to the initial hit sketch.
Recalling their all-time favorite SNL sketches, Day pointed to Will Forte’s 2005 “Spelling Bee” sketch, which memorably featured Forte struggling with the word “business,” spelling it with numerous Q’s. Seidell cited the 1999 sketch “Devil Can’t Write No Love Song,” featuring Garth Brooks as a struggling songwriter who offers to sell his soul to Will Ferrell’s Satan for a hit song.
When it comes to sketches they wrote together, Day shared that his recent favorite was the “Beavis and Butt-Head” sketch starring Day and Ryan Gosling. Seidell dug back to shout out 2015’s “Close Encounter”, also happening to feature Gosling, in a sketch centered around Kate McKinnon’s alien abductee and the horrendous things done to her by the extra-terrestrials.
Day and Seidell previously shared that they’d definitely consider a “Washington’s Dream 3,” but hope to avoid repeating the same comedic beats. Day suggested that future installments of the sketch might include Washington continuing to share his ideas “to shape the nation” after the Revolutionary War ends.
You can watch the full behind-the-scenes clip with Day and Seidell in the video above.
