Let’s be honest, folks—Jane Curtin was never one to fit into the mundane office life. "The lighting is terrible," she joked to an audience of fellow actors during a recent SAG-AFTRA Foundation Q&A in NYC. "We want to work with people who are a bit more interesting. We’re thoughtful, imaginative, creative, funny, and empathetic. Seriously, who’s better than us?" And let’s face it—nobody’s better than Jane, especially when it comes to comedic acting. At 70, she’s still got the charm, wit, and humor that have made her a beloved figure in the entertainment world.
Her career has been nothing short of remarkable, spanning from sketch comedy—where she was one of the original stars of Saturday Night Live—to sitcoms like Kate & Allie and 3rd Rock From the Sun, and even feature films such as Can You Ever Forgive Me?, where she stars alongside Melissa McCarthy. Jane’s success is a testament to her persistence and passion. "I wanted to stay in this business and do what I do," she says. And boy, has she done it well.
Jane Curtin on SNL in 1977.
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Growing Up and Finding Her Passion
Back in her early days in Cambridge, MA, Jane’s father, who worked as an insurance agent, encouraged her to pursue a more traditional career as a teacher or secretary. But Jane drew her inspiration from her mother, a Radcliffe graduate, who instilled in her the desire to aim higher. "My mother raised four children, and she was really good at it, but she wasn’t satisfied," Jane recalls. "I thought, 'I’ve got to do something that’s going to make me feel good.'"
And that something turned out to be comedy. When Jane took over the Weekend Update anchor desk on Saturday Night Live in 1976, it became her signature role. "It became mine," she says. "It didn’t matter if I had anything else to do on the show. That was my space, my time to shine."
Bonding with Her Co-stars
At SNL, Jane formed strong bonds with her female co-stars, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner. "The women writers and performers were very tight," she explains. "It was a tough road working against the powers that be." But not everything was smooth sailing. Some of her co-workers’ behavior left her uneasy. "Chevy [Chase] was difficult," she admits. "John [Belushi] would go into my dressing room and rummage through my purse, and [producer] Lorne [Michaels] didn’t do anything about it." Despite the challenges, Jane persevered, driven by her love for comedy.
