This week, Jimmy Fallon goes where Steve Martin, Bill Murray, and—gulp—Rob Schneider have gone before, from Saturday Night Live to Hollywood. He describes Taxi as “a fun-stupid-goofy-fun-action-explosion movie with supermodels” shot in New York: “The best city in the world, with the best people in the world, including that guy who was urinating on our cameraman.”(Taxi opens October 6 in New York.)
Do you miss the old job?
Jimmy Fallon: It’s like leaving college: heartbreaking. You know, you walk down the street and look up at a window—and say, ‘Hey, I used to live there.’ You knock on the door, and they say ‘Whatever, old man,’ and you say, ‘Lemme take a hit off this twenty-hitter?’
What’s the rule on guest-hosting? How long do you have to wait?
Queen Latifah’s hosting the second show of the new season, but I’m not making a cameo. You can’t fucking walk on after one episode; people would boo. But hosting? Eddie Murphy and Bill Murray hosted the next season after they left. If Taxi does well . . .
Will it?
I’m not gonna win an Oscar. But it’s worth ten bucks. It’s got explosions, hot chicks—everything you want.
And for your next movie, the Farrellys’ Fever Pitch, you’re finally doing the romantic comedy everyone’s always said you were made for.
It’s full-on romantic. More romantic than comedy, with Drew Barrymore. I like romantic comedies; they have a long shelf life. Like Twinkies. I want to be like Twinkies.
The SNL vets who’ve had the longest careers developed their own projects. Will you?
I don’t know what direction I’ll go in yet. Guys like [Adam] Sandler have their own point of view. I have no idea yet.
In the film, your character says, “Crazy and stupid: That’s my style!” Maybe that’s it—something you could put on your tombstone?
Dude, if it can fit! But if that’s all it says—if it just says JIMMY FALLON: CRAZY AND STUPID—that would be a little disappointing. Right now, I just want to step into the ring and have some fun.