‘SNL’ is back. Here are the stories behind the show’s iconic photos

She’s not part of the cast, but Mary Ellen Matthews has been a staple of “Saturday Night Live” for the past 23 years.

Matthews has been the show’s official photographer since 1999, taking the photos you see every time the show comes back from a commercial break. These celebrity portraits highlight each week’s host and musical guest, and they’ve become just as much a part of “SNL” as the opening monologue or “Weekend Update.”

“I always try to bring the joy,” Matthews said. “That’s my kind of maxim of how I operate: to bring the sense of playfulness, to keep it light. It’s also nice to have these quiet moments that are a little more introspective every now and then. I think it’s a good balance in the show.”

These portraits have been part of the sketch comedy show since 1975, the year the show premiered. Edie Baskin was the photographer then and Matthews picked up where she left off.

Every Thursday before a show, Matthews can meet each host and musical guest to collaborate on different looks or concepts. She comes in with ideas that can influence the personality or public nature of any subject. Or maybe it’s recreating a famous work of art. Sometimes it’s as simple as sticking Charles Barkley’s bald head in a sea of ​​basketballs.

“And there’s always something organic that happens, so you have to leave room for that,” Matthews said.

A little bit of post-production is required after each shoot to ensure the photos have the graphic treatment and colors they need to “pop” for the live broadcast. In recent years, Matthews has also played dice with animated stills.

Due to the hectic nature of “SNL’s” production week, Matthews only gets about 90 minutes with each host and 20 minutes with each musical guest. But it’s exciting, and she loves it.

“Every week is like the first week all over again,” she said. “You always want to do better than last week, and you always want to give every host and musical guest the same fantastic, creative service and make it just as much fun for them and make their dream come true.”

And make no mistake: Even for some of the biggest celebrities, hosting “SNL” is a dream, Matthews said, and they usually come to the shoots eager to participate in the tradition.

“I feel the excitement,” she said. “I feel (them) thinking like, ‘What are we going to do?’ There’s been a lot of crazy ideas. There’s been a lot of funny concepts. I think it’s a time for them to let go a little bit and drop this kind of confidence.”

Air date: January 25, 2020

No special camera tricks were used for this image of Driver, who hosted the show for the third time in 2020. Just carefully placed mirrors and a little patience.

“He’s someone who understands what we’re trying to do,” Matthews said. “Very cooperative to get the right position and the right positioning of him within the mirrors and the right position of his hands. It’s really nice to get these kinds of images in the camera.”

Matthews often references famous art in her shoots. This one is a nod to the painting “La Clairvoyance” by René Magritte.

In Magritte’s painting, it is a self-portrait of him painting a bird while looking at an egg.

“I was like, turn it around,” said Matthews, bringing a prop chicken for the shoot with Isaac. “And now it’s a fried egg, and the chicken doesn’t like that very much.”

Air date: December 1, 2018

Foy, one of the stars of the show “The Crown”, sits on a swing while drinking from a teacup.

“We’re leaning a bit on her Britishness,” Matthews said.

The studio crew hooked up the swing for the shoot at NBC Studios. “That’s real,” Matthews said. “She’s actually hanging from a swing in the rafters in Studio 8H.”

Air date: October 26, 2019

Chance plays an entire gospel choir on his own. It was fitting, because in this episode he was both the host and the musical guest.

“We did and put him together in all these poses,” Matthews said.

Chance has also labeled himself a Christian rapper and he refers to his faith in his music.

“This appealed to him,” Matthews said.

Air date: October 9, 2021

“I did colored gels last year, and it’s kind of like a long exposure (pictured) and it’s playing with the accents on her dress there,” Matthews said. “I just think this is beautiful for her. A little more of her, just feel the moment. …

“She understands what we’re doing with the light and the long exposure, so she’s aware of the process and our collaboration came out beautifully.”

“We found the bank and then Tom Broecker, our incredible costume designer, had this suit made,” Matthews said.

She said she couldn’t remember for sure if the sofa had been delivered that way or if it had been upholstered to match Rudd’s outfit. But it was all perfect for the playful Rudd.

“He’s so expressive,” Matthews said. “He’s just the best, isn’t he? We all love him.”

Air date: Nov 4, 2017

This was another example of how some of the best portraits are unplanned.

“We just started playing, and you know, a character evolves when you give someone a pipe sometimes,” Matthews said.

She said this was David’s favorite from their shoot.

“I think he was asked to use it as a headshot or something. He also loves this,” she said.

Air date: December 8, 2018

Matthews often tries to formulate ideas based on the public persona of each topic. But it’s also nice to go the other way – like Momoa, who often plays tough guys, in a crazy suit.

“There’s another shot from the same shoot I had him in braids, and (his expression) is like ‘thank you very much,’ stuff like that — that’s just playing against the type,” Matthews said.

She initially wanted to make an animation of this photo, but she spread it out as a still image.

“We talked about it and he gave me a few moves at the end. And the suit worked just perfect graphically.”

Air date: February 20, 2021

Matthews recalls that the breakout “Bridgerton” star was “so much loved” during his week. “He was just such a wonderful, wonderful person to work with,” she said.

Like the Foy shot above, this plays to his British background.

“Maybe I’m exaggerating with the teacup,” she said with a laugh. “But we were doing something and we both decided, why don’t you just go through it? It was right at the end of the shoot. Just be playful and ruin the set. Why not?”

“He’s definitely one of my favorites to shoot because, you know, he’s Bond,” Matthews said. ‘And the fact that he is a test subject is quite something, I must say.

“I’m a big fan, and I thought he gave these kind of looks and put them together. It cost the spy and gave it something comical there.”

This mirror was not planned as part of Glover’s shoot.

“We just used it to check looks and stuff, and it just became this reflective, amazing moment,” recalls Matthews. “Not usual for these kind of nice bumpers. But I think it’s really powerful.”

Air date: November 23, 2019

Every year, it’s tradition for Matthews to include the same turkey breast on the Thanksgiving show.

“We got the Thanksgiving show host to do something different with the turkey,” she said. “I think Matthew McConaughey was in the steam room and they were both wearing small towels.

“But with Will, I was just thinking about running his turkeys down there on Fifth Avenue. I just made it up, I don’t know. Like I wasn’t quite sure where we were going with this. Instead of walking your dogs, you walk your turkeys, and it kind of became this ’70s version.

Air date: February 6, 2021

“He’s such a lively person,” Matthews said of “Schitt’s Creek” star Daniel Levy. “So adding that vibrant color to that candid moment, it just seemed really bad to him. There was nothing forced there. It’s effortless Dan Levy there.”

Air date: December 15, 2018

“The Christmas shows are always fun to do, and for this one I found a reference to the Beach Boys Christmas album where they decorate a Christmas tree,” Matthews said.

As with other holiday shows, Matthews will start thinking ahead of time about ideas that can give a different feel every year. She thought this one was a great match for Damon and his clean image.

“Matt has done a perfect job with this kind of pasted smile, ‘everything is all right in the world.’ … I wanted every shot of him here to be about the same, and he took the opportunity.’

Air date: February 9, 2019

This photo of Halsey is another nod to an album cover: “Goats Head Soup” by The Rolling Stones.

“Mick Jagger is covered in silk the same way,” Matthews said. “We played the Rolling Stones, and I talked about the Stones, and I suggested that and they loved it. … And she is so present. She is such an employee. I adore her, her artistry. She is a painter. There is so much for her.”

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, “SNL” aired some special “At Home” episodes in which cast members would film segments at home while practicing social distancing.

Matthews didn’t have her normal hosts or musical guests to photograph, so she had to improvise as well.

“We all had to make do with what we had at home, and she became my subject,” Matthews said. “So I put her in a bubble bath with a shower cap and a rubber duck. … It was not easy. It really wasn’t that much water. It was more like a hot tub. But she sure looks like, “Please stop. Get me out of here.’

“I’m not sure how much she likes it there. But she was very patient, and for that I owe her a big cookie.”

See more photos of Matthews and the stories behind it.

The new season of “SNL” premieres Saturday at 11:30 PM ET / 8:30 PM PT on NBC and Peacock. This weekend’s host is actor Miles Teller and the musical guest is Kendrick Lamar.