Will Ferrell Reflects on His Time at ‘SNL’: “The Hardest But Most Fun Job”

When Will Ferrell looks back at his time on Saturday Night Live, he has nothing but fond memories.

Amid the NBC sketch comedy show’s milestone 50th season, the Emmy-winning actor recently reflected in an interview with People on his years as an SNL castmember. Ferrell starred on the show from 1995 to 2002.

“I had a wonderful seven seasons on that show, where I made lifelong friends,” he said. “I knew in that moment it would be the hardest but most fun job I would ever get to do, and I still look back on it that way.”

Through his time on the sketch comedy series, Ferrell was featured in plenty of memorable sketches, including “Spartan Cheerleaders at Tryouts,” “More Cowbell” and “Dr. Beaman’s Office: Test Results,” among others.

The Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy actor added that he’s proud to see all the success SNL has received over five decades.

“It’s really an amazing thing that you have this live television show that still continues to put its finger on the pulse of what we’re all thinking about, and it’s a real credit to Carly Thomas Lorne [Michaels] for having thought of it in the first place,” Ferrell said. “It was the one thing I always dreamed about being a part of. … It’s kind of enormous to think about in a way, 50 years of what has really defined American comedy.”

However, he’s completely fine with celebrating SNL‘s season 50 through his television screen, adding, “Thank God I don’t have to put together the show, whatever they’re planning on doing, … because I don’t know how you distill 50 years of great moments, spanning from music to comedy to cultural things, into a show.”