‘SNL’ Standout Pete Davidson On Influences & Life Lessons Learned: The Film That Lit My Fuse

The Film That Lit My Fuse is a Deadline video series that aims to provide an antidote to headlines about industry uncertainty by swinging the conversation back to the creative ambitions, formative influences and inspirations of some of today’s great screen artists.

Every installment asks the same five questions. Today’s subject is actor Pete Davidson, who cut his teeth as a stand-up comedian. After becoming one of the youngest castmembers on Saturday Night Live and shining brightly — and sometimes controversially — in Weekend Update segments where he basically played himself, Davidson made his movie starring transition in the Judd Apatow-directed comedy The King of Staten Island. Written as a semi-autobiographical scripted comedy by Apatow and Davidson, the film drew strong reviews despite a pandemic-stunted gross — and showed strong acting potential for Davidson. He’d gotten on Apatow’s radar when he played a small but showy role in the Amy Schumer-starrer Trainwreck. Davidson will next be seen in the James Gunn-directed The Suicide Squad. He has inferred he might leave SNL after seven memorable seasons, and he has numerous movie vehicles in his future, including a date to star with Kaley Cuoco in the romantic comedy Meet Cute, and as part of the ensemble of an adaptation of the Tim O’Brien Vietnam War novel The Things They Carried.