Martin Scorcese surprised Saturday Night Live viewers this weekend with an unannounced appearance on Seth Meyers’ Weekend Update segment. The legendary director was revealed from beneath a black hood, playing the tortured captive of Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest alter ego Admiral General Aladeen.
Cohen stopped by Weekend Update in character (does he do it any other way?) to promote his latest film The Dictator, which comes out in theaters next weekend. After sharing reviews that prompted Meyers to suggest, “It sounds like you tortured that reviewer,” the Admiral General countered with, “You don’t believe me? Well, maybe you will believe this man!”
A hooded and bound character was wheeled onto the set to testify under pressure to the movie’s merits, the audience exploding into applause when Aladeen removed the hood to reveal a frazzled and frightened-looking Scorsese.
Aladeen asked, “What did you think of the film?”
The director replied blandly, “It was good.”
Unsatisfied with the review, Aladeen electrocuted the director, prompting a more enthusiastic response. A few shocks later, Scorsese finally shouted, “It was better than Raging Bull!” Watch the full sketch, including Aladeen’s brisk anti-Semitic jabs at Meyers, below.
