‘Saturday Night Live’ actor Ben Stiller knew he had to quit the show for one reason

Ben Stiller knew he had to walk away from “Saturday Night Live” after just four episodes.

“I just knew that I wasn’t a great live performer,” the comedian told The Hollywood Reporter. 

“It got me nervous,” he explained. “I get stressed out even thinking about it, and making movies is the opposite of that. You get to do it over and over again.”

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Mary Tyler Moore as an officer and Ben Stiller as a traveler during the “Customs” skit for “Saturday Night Live” on March 25, 1989. (Raymond Bonar/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

Bob Odenkirk, who also worked on the variety show at the time, thought this move was unthinkable.

“He was ballsy as h— to walk away from ‘SNL’ and to be able to say with confidence about himself and his career, ‘This isn’t going to work for me. I have to leave here,'” Odenkirk told the outlet.

Jon Lovitz as Ace and Ben Stiller as Gloverboy Selvaggi during the “Requiem For Death” skit on March 25, 1989. (Raymond Bonar/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

After quitting “Saturday Night Live,” Stiller was given the opportunity to continue sketch comedy – just not live. “The Ben Stiller Show” first aired on MTV and later on Fox. Afterward, he landed roles in “Reality Bites,” “Heavyweights” and Jim Carrey’s “The Cable Guy.”

Stiller’s big break came with a role in “There’s Something About Mary.”

Since then, the actor has starred in huge productions, including “Meet the Parents,” “Zoolander,” “Along Came Polly,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “Night at the Museum” and “Tropic Thunder.”

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Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s children both want to be actors. (Kennedy Pollard/Getty Images for Don Julio Tequila)

Stiller’s acting career didn’t sway his kids’ interest in the industry. His children, shared with actress Christine Taylor, want to be actors. Ella and Quinlin both had minor voice roles in “Madagascar.”

Ella Stiller, Mike Iveson, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor and Quinlin Stiller pose backstage at the hit play “What the Constitution Means to Me” on Broadway on May 5, 2019. (Bruce Glikas/WireImage)

“I feel probably what my parents felt,” Stiller told The Hollywood Reporter regarding his children’s interest in show business. “I recognize their talent and their desire to do it, and I support it a hundred percent. And I also know it’s a tough business, and as a protective parent, you don’t want your kids to have to suffer the slings and arrows.”

“I’m glad that for all of the things that I did wrong as a parent or being too caught up in my work, it’s not like they were like, ‘I don’t want anything to do with this,'” he added.

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Ben Stiller followed his parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, into the Hollywood industry. (Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Stiller has actually been finishing up a project featuring his own parents. The “Severance” producer was raised by Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, two actors in their own right. Stiller lost Anne in 2015 and Jerry passed away in 2020.

“I’m thinking I’m going to miss working on it,” Stiller said of the documentary. “I have an excuse to just sit and watch my parents all day.”

As for what’s next, he’s not quite sure. 

“It’d be fun to work on a story that’s just like two hours,” he said.

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