MUNA’s Naomi McPherson to Make Acting Debut as Janis Ian in Upcoming ‘SNL 1975’ Film

Jason Reitman’s upcoming SNL 1975 has found its Janis Ian.

MUNA’s Naomi McPherson will take on the role of the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter in the film about the debut of the iconic NBC sketch comedy series, Saturday Night Live, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ian was the first musical guest on the show that premiered on Oct. 11, 1975. The role marks McPherson’s first major acting gig.

The cast also includes Gabriel LaBelle as series creator Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman as former NBC executive Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott as Michaels’ ex-wife and former SNL writer Rosie Shuster. Other cast members include Nicholas Braun (Jim Henson), Kaia Gerber (Jacqueline Carlin), J.K. Simmons (Milton Berle) and Finn Wolfhard as an NBC page.

The acting role comes following an exciting year for McPherson, who as part of the trio MUNA, went out on a North American tour as well as acted as the supporting artist on a few shows in Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

Ian, meanwhile, received a lifetime achievement award at the International Folk Music Awards last year. She’s a two-time Grammy winner, who won the 1975 award for best pop vocal performance, female for her coming-of-age classic “At Seventeen” and the 2012 award for best spoken word album for Society’s Child: My Autobiography

Rania Aniftos

Billboard