Jacob Elordi’s screen career has ranged from the teen-friendly rom-com The Kissing Booth to the explicit psycho-thriller Saltburn, and the actor joked about both movies during his Saturday Night Live hosting debut on January 20.
“So, uh, you might know me from Saltburn … not from seeing the film, just from seeing the TikToks,” he told the audience at the start of his opening monologue.
Elordi then showed off one viral (and spoilery) clip from the Emerald Fennell film — one in which the character Oliver, played by Barry Keoghan, has sex with a grave.
“Yeah, I was the one in the grave,” Elordi quipped after the clip. “But if you saw the movie, thank you. If you saw the movie with your parents, I’m sorry. And if you saw the movie with your girlfriend, you’re welcome.”
Elordi also took questions from the studio audience, which included cast member Sarah Sherman. “Just wanted to say, I saw your movie, and I thought it was absolutely gross,” Sherman told the Aussie star.
“Right, yeah, well, Saltburn really isn’t for anyone,” Elordi told her.
“The hell is a Saltburn?” Sherman said. “I’m talking about The Kissing Booth. … Two people kissing on the mouth? Blech!”
“Yeah, you know what, kissing is kind of weird when you think about it,” Elordi admitted. “I mean, can you name one other animal that kisses?”
And that’s when a professorial character, played by Kenan Thompson, chimed in. “Excuse me, sir. I believe I can name an animal that kisses,” Thomson’s alter-ego said. “Yes, the noble elephant will sometimes put its trunk into its lover’s mouth. … Let’s just say I own an elephant, and I open my mouth a lot.”
Elordi starred in three Kissing Booth movies between 2018 and 2021 and later spoke out about the Netflix franchise in a November 2023 GQ profile.
“I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” he told the magazine. “Those movies are ridiculous. They’re not universal. They’re an escape.”
When his GQ interviewer pointed out that the Kissing Booth movies could fit into some Hollywood actors’ “one for them, one for me” quid pro quo, Elordi said,“That one’s a trap as well. Because it can become 15 for them, none for you. You have no original ideas, and you’re dead inside. So it’s a fine dance. My ‘one for them,’ I’ve done it.”
Saturday Night Live, Saturdays, 11:30/10:30c, NBC
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
