Travis Kelce opens up about how reading challenges affected his 'SNL' debut

NBC News

a day ago

While Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been known to make touchdowns on the field, he's been trying his luck at scoring off the field in the world of acting.
Appearing on a July 1 episode of 'Bussin' With The Boys,' a podcast hosted by former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, Kelce opened up about breaking into the acting world and some of its challenges.
Reminiscing on his 'Saturday Night Live' hosting gig in March 2023, Kelce said that while he felt 'so much more comfortable' doing comedy, he still felt nervous and was concerned that he wouldn't be taken seriously.
Kelce remembered thinking, ''I want to take advantage of this, like, I want to have fun doing it but I don't want to look like a loser doing this. I want to make them respect my approach and how I'm taking it serious.'
Calling the rehearsals leading up to the show 'a crazy ride' and 'just a fun rollercoaster,' he explained that he was at Rockefeller Center preparing all week until 2 or 3 a.m. every day.
When asked about the 'SNL' writers' rooms, Kelce called them 'fun because you're just getting pitched ideas.' But when it came time for the table read, the football star called the experience the 'hardest f---ing part' about being on the show.
'The table reading — for a guy that can't really read that well — it was kind of a f--- situation,' he said. 'I felt like I was just trying to get through the reading instead of actually acting it out and giving it a voice and giving it a character, things like that.'
'I was just focused on, 'Don't f------ skip this line,'' he added.
Lewan admitted similar troubles, telling Kelce, 'Brother, when it comes to reading difficulties, I will be on that side of the aisle with you my entire life.'
When Kelce added that he considers himself 'more of an audio guy,' Lewan joked, 'That's why they make audio books now, for guys like us.'
''You reading?' I'm listening. I'm listening quite a bit, actually,' Lewan said as Kelce laughed.
Earlier in the interview, Kelce touched on his 'fun cameo' in Adam Sandler's upcoming sequel, 'Happy Gilmore 2,' which is set to hit theaters July 25.
'That's where I see myself kind of focusing, like those fun cameos,' he said, later adding, 'like in 'Happy Gilmore,' I'm a waiter. Like a fun a-- f------ role in a movie with a guy, Adam Sandler, who I've loved my entire life.'
'I'd kill to do movies like that for the rest of my life,' Kelce said of the new film.
Despite his recent list of acting credits, including 'Happy Gilmore 2,' Kelce admitted that acting is a field he's not 'comfortable in yet, especially enough to do serious stuff,' telling the podcast hosts that he doesn't 'feel like I've grasped the acting world yet.'
In 2024, Kelce took on his first 'serious' acting role as Eddie Lachlan in Ryan Murphy's show 'Grotesquerie.' While he credited the 'really good cast' for showing him the ropes, he said he felt out of his comfort zone 'preparation wise.'
'I'm so prepared for an NFL game,' Kelce explained. 'In my career field, I get an entire week to figure out a scheme, how I'm going to attack somebody, how I'm going to handle certain specific situations. And when you go into acting, it's just, I didn't feel as prepared.'
The Super Bowl champion says he wishes acting had a similar approach to his on-field plays, saying, 'Every single director I've met on scenes, I'm just like, 'Coach me up. I'm here to be coached. If I suck, tell me I suck. Tell me how I can be better. I'll take all the criticism, I don't give a f---.''