Movies - TV
Dana Carvey Was Terrified To Play Saturday Night Live's Church Lady
By TRAVIS YATES
Comedian Dana Carvey appeared as a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1986 to 1993, and it could be argued those were some of the best years of the long-running sketch comedy show. The comedian played some memorable characters like Garth Algar, Derek Stevens, and Johnny Carson, but arguably his most beloved has to be Church Lady.
Carvey, unfortunately, had to introduce the fictional talk show host of Church Chat during his debut show, and in an interview with the “New York Post,” he discussed his nervy “SNL” debut. When he first adorned the now-familiar purple dress suit, black loafers, cat-rimmed eyeglasses, and gray wig to transform into the pious Enid Strict, Carvey said he was terrified.
He said, “It was terrifying ... I can show you 'Church Chat' episodes early on where my hand is held up and it's drenched in sweat. I vetted the rhythms of the character in comedy clubs but wasn't sure it would work. I was on with Victoria Jackson and I went, ‘Well, isn't that special?’ and it got a huge laugh and that relaxed me. It was like, 'OK, they get it.”