Filling in
On February 16, nearly 15 million viewers tuned in for Saturday Night Live鈥檚 50th anniversary special, but Tom Banfield 鈥�17 wasn鈥檛 one of them. That鈥檚 because the former 天美传媒app English major was seated in the audience at Studio 8H, surrounded by comedic legends and A-list celebrities, all celebrating half a century of television鈥檚 most revered late-night comedy show. By day, Banfield works in creative partnerships for N天美传媒app鈥檚 Olympic and Paralympic ad sales team, but that night, he was employed as a seat filler, just doing his best to blend in with the crowd. Below, he describes how the unforgettable night unfolded.聽
First off, how did you land this role?
I was part of the N天美传媒appUniversal Page Program after I graduated from Boston College, and worked as a desk page at Saturday Night Live, so I had some experience, plus they needed a lot of extra hands given the scale of the show. I genuinely appreciated the opportunity because the page program was a really special time, and to go back felt a little bit like a reunion, almost like coming out of retirement.
What were your responsibilities?
We were actually helping with the whole flow of the evening, so helping former cast members, hosts, and musical guests get up into the studio and get ready for the show. It was broadcast live, so time was of the essence. After that I was working on seat filling, which was a real treat. Basically, whenever someone got up to use the restroom or talk to a friend in the audience, they would have one of us pop in and take their spot. For SNL50, the audience was on camera for a huge duration of the show, so they wanted the room to feel full. There were around 40 of us waiting in the wings, and during commercial breaks we鈥檇 run in to make sure we could get to our spots and get situated before the cameras started to roll again. It was sort of frenetic, a lot of hectic energy, but a ton of fun.聽
Where were you seated throughout the night?聽
I got incredibly lucky with my seat assignments. At the very beginning of the show, there was a spot that they put me in towards the back of Studio 8H and I was thrilled because I got to see Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter鈥檚 opening musical number. After that I was in two other spots: down in the front sitting next to Martin Short during the audience Q&A with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler '93, and then next to Lady Gaga for the New York 50th musical featuring John Mulaney. I was right in the center of the action, which was super cool.
Banfield seated next to Lady Gaga during a musical sketch by John Mulaney featuring actress and comedian Kristen Wiig as a green M&M.
What makes a good seat filler?
I was mostly trying to blend in, which is not easy given that I'm not a celebrity. The people around me were pretty locked in watching the show, so I tried to be chill and look as normal as I could. I was thankful to SNL that they got me outfitted with the right gear so I looked believable enough in the moment.
What was your favorite part of the show?聽
Probably seeing Paul McCartney perform. It was towards the end of the show and I was still seat filling. I think whoever originally had my seat was in a sketch, which means they鈥檙e out of the audience for longer. I saw Paul McCartney getting ready during the commercial break and I thought, 鈥楶lease don't come back, I'd really like to see this.鈥� Getting to see a Beatle perform at Studio 8H on the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live is something I will always remember.
What was the vibe like in the audience?聽
It was very collegial and joyful. During commercial breaks there were little jovial interactions between whomever was on stage waiting to be cued and members of the audience鈥攊t made you realize that there's a real community around the show, and people were just really excited to see one another. Obviously these folks do a lot of big and exciting things all the time, but this was unique and the overall mood of the room was very much in recognition of that fact.聽
Did you get any messages from people watching at home?
I did! I was very thankful that I remembered to put my phone on silent because when I got up, I had almost 150 texts and more came through in the days that followed. The audience shots that I had been part of were posted to social media, and folks were really kind and reaching out and enjoying the moment with me. In a way, I felt like I was able to share that experience I had that night with loved ones and that was super special.聽
Were you an SNL fan growing up?
Definitely. I grew up in Westchester, just north of the city, and I remember thinking as a kid that it was so exciting that this was happening not too far away. Years later, to be able to be in 30 Rock in Studio 8H for these shows as a page and then again for the 50th? It feels surreal.