The role Mike Myers thought he’d be fired from: “Do you work here?”
Known for his unique sense of humour, quirky characters and unforgettable catchphrases, Mike Myers is a legend of the comedy world. He’s beloved for playing multiple roles in cult comedies like Austin Powers and voicing one of the most iconic animated characters ever – Shrek. But before he was lending his talent for accents to the green ogre or gyrating in a 007 spoof, the Canadian comedian was a sketch performer on Saturday Night Live.
Originally appearing on SNL in 1989, Myers was such a hit that he was quickly taken on as a cast member. During his six seasons on the show, he created multiple sketches including “Sprockets” and “Coffee Talk”, but the real game-changer was “Wayne’s World”. Beginning as a segment on the CBC TV show It’s Only Rock & Roll, the sketch followed the lovable and enthusiastic metal-head Wayne – played by Myers – and his metalhead friend Garth as they broadcast their radio show from Wayne’s parents’ basement.
The sketch would become Myers’s breakthrough into film and fame. Within four years, the sketch had spawned a movie and a sequel. But despite all its success, Myers was always on tenterhooks. “I thought I was being fired every week you know,” he explained to CBS News. “I did. I didn’t have an office for a year. My office was me cross-legged on my coat by the elevator bank. And Lorne [Michaels] literally said to me a couple times, ‘Do you work here?’”
While it might be surprising to think of Myers being insecure about the sketch that started it all, it’s understandable given his quick induction into the legendary show. But it wasn’t his quick casting or the success of the show that demonstrated the popularity of Wayne’s World to the comedian. Instead, it was the genuine laughter of the crew. “The crew is the audience for the read-through on Wednesdays. I read the ‘Wayne’s World’ sketch for the first time, and it was last sketch in the pack — there was, like, 40 sketches. And they just loved it. They got big, giant laughs.”
Soon, the laughter would spread as Wayne’s World was introduced to audiences watching at home. It’s catchphrases soon made their way into people’s vocabulary, and people were doing bits from the show. “And then [after] it was on the air, I ran into somebody in the crew. And they said, ‘Wow, that ‘Wayne’s World’ thing, dude, it’s a hit. I was on the subway, and people were doing ‘Wayne’s World.” For Myers, who initially thought he was on the edge of getting fired constantly, it must have been affirming to have fans come up and slip into his character in front of him.
Even more affirming was the fact that when the Wayne’s World film was greenlit, it was only the second SNL skit to get its own spin-off movie, after The Blues Brothers.
Plus, it went on to be one of the most successful movies of 1992, raking in $180million against its $20million budget. And who knows, if we didn’t get Wayne, we might not have gotten Austin and Shrek might not have been Scottish. Now, this is Wayne’s world, and we’re just living in it.
