Steve Martin is an actor, writer, producer, and musician, known among the masses for his brilliant comic skills. Considered one of the best in business, he became popular for his absurdist and offbeat comic routines, that made him one of Saturday Night Live‘s favorites, having hosted the sketch comedy show a total of 16 times, only one behind Alec Baldwin, who has the highest number, with 17 hosting stints.
Steve Martin recently released a two-part documentary on his life by Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville. Steve!, the documentary, is a reflection of life instead of being what he thinks it could be about. He is a one-man show – sometimes a two-man routine (with his long-time partener in crime, Martin Short) – but his charisma and hold over the subject is unparalleled.
Jerry Seinfeld’s Praise For Steve Martin Can Get To One’s Head
Jerry Seinfeld is no stranger to being a comedic legend like Steve Martin. But Martin has been in the business longer than most, and is still going strong, much to the astonishment of most. When he is not performing sold-out shows, or hosting gigs like SNL (or the Oscars), he is writing award-winning shows like Only Murders in the Building, or plays, and apparently, also collecting art.
In Steve!, Seinfeld called Martin “the most idolized comedian ever,” but the latter isn’t all that proud of that particular title. Talking to The Guardian, the Bowfinger actor says:
“[It] makes me cringe. Idolatry is so fleeting. When I was a kid, there was this comedian, Joe Penner, whose catchphrase was: ‘Wanna buy a duck?’ If you said: ‘Wanna buy a duck?’ everybody would fall down laughing. And now it’s embarrassing. So I don’t invest too much in that stuff.”
According to Martin, such praises are fleeting at most, and he does not let them get to his head, as things could change direction in a matter of seconds.
Steve! Filmmaker Is a Fan of Steve Martin
Morgan Neville, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of Steve! has been a life-long fan of the comedian. He had seen his early works, but it took him some time to connect with Steve Martin where he could understand what he was saying with his routines. His absurdist comedy was not for everyone, and the genre in itself will tell you, but Neville got there, sooner or later.
“I didn’t totally get what Steve was doing when I was a kid, but there’s an absurdity you respond to. Once you grow up, you see the sophistication as well. He had to be open. And it became clear from our initial meeting that he was genuinely curious about his own life.”
And this curiosity is why Martin said yes to making the documentary in the first place. As the 78-year-old actor said, he wanted an outside perspective on his life, and this documentary was the way to get it.
“You can’t analyse your own life and work. I know what it looks like on the inside: a big mess, a big jumble. But how about from the outside?”
Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces is available on Apple TV+.
