Why 'SNL' chief Lorne Michaels is so careful about politics

How do you make a movie about the man behind the curtain?

That was the seemingly impossible task facing Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom”), who was given unprecedented access to film behind the scenes at “Saturday Night Live” with head honcho Lorne Michaels, 81, the notoriously cagey subject of the new documentary “Lorne” (in theaters April 17).

“The first thing I did was go to his office with a tape recorder and start asking questions,” Neville says. “I realized in that first conversation that he wasn’t going to talk beat by beat through his life; he just doesn’t speak in a way that’s linear.”

But over months of interviews with Michaels and other “SNL” alums, “that became part of the film. It’s letting the audience in on the fact that Lorne is not an easy subject.”

How 'SNL' boss Lorne Michaels consoled John Mulaney in rehab

“Lorne” spends precious little time on the usual biographical observations, such as Michaels’ family or relationships. Instead, to “SNL” fans’ delight, the movie offers a fascinating window into the day to day of the long-running NBC sketch series, which premiered in 1975.

Neville is there for pitch meetings, where the current cast sits on the floor of Michaels’ office and throws out their zaniest ideas. He joins them for cast dinners, late-night writing sessions and the final dress rehearsal, after which Michaels plops down on a stool and gives them notes before the show.

“All of that is virtually unchanged – I mean, we show pictures of him sitting on the stool 50 years ago giving notes,” Neville says. “He’s created this institution that works exactly the same way. A lot of people would say it’s to a fault, like it’s crazy that they run the show the same way that they did in the ‘70s. But Lorne doesn’t do change, really. He likes things to be the same.”

“Lorne” captures Michaels’ many eccentricities: He typically goes to bed around 4 a.m. and wakes up at 12 p.m. each day. He always keeps a tank of goldfish in his office, only dines at the same two restaurants, and has an ever-flowing stash of popcorn for him and his staff.

“They put baskets of popcorn everywhere he’s going to be,” Neville says. “His driver has also been with him for 30-plus years. When he got too old to continue being his driver, Lorne got a new one. But the old driver still sits in the front seat.”

Although he’s a man of few words, the film occasionally glimpses Michaels’ sweeter, more vulnerable side. John Mulaney recalls how when he was in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, Michaels would offer to stay on the phone for as long as he wanted just to talk about whatever. The documentary also details how Michaels was deeply shaken by the death of former cast member Chris Farley, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 1997 at 33.

“He’s somebody who shows up for people,” Neville says. “Maya Rudolph and Tina Fey told me when they got pregnant, suddenly Lorne was like, ‘Oh, we'll build a nursery right here at the show!’ Of course, he wants them to keep working (laughs). But he has a big-picture perspective on these real issues in life. That’s why you see the loyalty of people who went through the show and why they talk about him as a father figure.”

'Saturday Night Live' aims to 'make fun of everybody,' regardless of politics

“Lorne” briefly touches on how Michaels has always aimed to provoke, with clips of controversial “SNL” hosts including Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. Without naming names, the documentary says that Michaels regrets inviting some people to host.

“Lorne will never speak specifically about those things,” Neville says. “But something that he’s said to me a lot is, ‘Remember, it’s called broadcasting because it’s meant to be seen broadly. It’s not just a show for the coasts – it’s supposed to capture all kinds of opinions.’ He wants to keep reminding his critics, much to their chagrin, that we’re not just doing everything to validate a certain political point of view.

“He comes from that old idea that we’re supposed to hold truth to power and make fun of everybody – and that means everybody.”

Given Michaels’ age, there has been rampant speculation in recent years that he will retire soon.

“But I don’t think he has any intention of retiring,” Neville says. In the time that he's run the show, “he has not missed a week, which is incredible. It’s the thing that keeps him going, so I don’t think he’ll ever walk away from it.”

Earlier this month, Michels attended the world premiere of his documentary at New York's Lincoln Center, and was characteristically taciturn in his praise.

"He looked at me after, nodded and said, 'Good,' " Neville recalls with a grin. "For Lorne, that's a five-star review."