SNL's Lorne Michaels reveals who he regrets not casting

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Longtime producer of "Saturday Night Live," Lorne Michaels, is opening up about the people he regrets passing on casting -- and they're big names now.

Michaels passed on casting Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Stephen Colbert and Lisa Kudrow, and he told The Hollywood Reporter that those are the names he kicks himself over now.

So, why did he say no? Michaels said he wasn't at Carrey's audition, but a colleague said he wouldn't like Carrey.

Also, because it's an ensemble, "SNL" is also about casting for what it needs. Michaels says Kudrow's audition was "brilliant," but he already had strong women in the cast at the time.

There are other infamous misses when it comes to "SNL" too -- Splitsider reports people like John Candy, John Goodman, Louis C.K. -- even another "Friends" alum, Jennifer Aniston -- were all either rejected by or said 'no' to the show.

Oprah asked Jennifer Aniston about the offer back in 2011: "Did Lorne Michaels offer that to you?"

"Yeah. I had this show 'Friends' coming up ... but they thought I was making a huge mistake," Aniston said about her decision.

No hard feelings, though -- many went on to host the show.

You can get more of Michaels' insights on "SNL" in The Hollywood Reporter.

The show's 40th anniversary special airs Feb. 15. Tons of famous faces will be there -- including Fey, Eddie Murphy and more.



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