As it turns out, Lorne Michaels’ hesitation about John Belushi was warranted. Like most of the cast, he recklessly soaked up his newfound fame through drug use and long nights of partying. Due to their grueling work schedules and the overall attitude of 1970s social liberation, this type of lifestyle became normalized by the “Saturday Night Live” cast and crew, but what set Belushi apart from the rest was his inability to separate his work from his recreation. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Belushi described his behavior as self-destructive. His “Animal House” character, Bluto Blutarsky, only reinforced his status as a wild party animal. “I swear, you’d walk down the street with him, and people would hand him drugs. And then he’d do all of them — be the kind of character he played in sketches or ‘Animal House,'” filmmaker and close friend Penny Marshall told The Hollywood Reporter.
When his escapades started affecting his work, Michaels had little patience and fired Belushi on more than one occasion. However, these firings never lasted long. “John, obviously, he could party with the best of them, but the next day, these guys were just so miserable,” fellow cast mate Jane Curtin told People Magazine. In the documentary “Belushi” (via Page Six), Michaels recalls when the comedian showed up before a live taping in a disastrous state. When the doctor advised against John performing, Michaels asked what the odds of him dying were. According to the doctor, it was 50/50. Michaels responded, “I can live with that.”
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue8Snq56qpJa2r7nEp6tor5iWwW680aKlnJ2jqHqurdGgmKudpKh6p7XNmqNmsZWWv7R51p6pnmWimq6tuNhmo6KjlWQ%3D