‘SNL' Star 'Terrified' She'd Be Fired After Mistake During Ryan Gosling Sketch

RyanGosling's infectious laughter became contagious during his most recentSaturday Night Live episode.

The Project Hail Mary star joined SNL cast member AshleyPadilla in the "Passing Notes" sketch. The pair played a principal and a teacher who catch students passing notes. They scold the classroom by reading them out loud. The notes' contents had been changed for the live show, and the actors couldn't hold back their laughter.

"I, of course, afterwards was terrified that I would lose my job entirely. But I think it was celebrated." Padilla told Deadline on April 22.

LorneMichaels, the long-running series' creator and current producer, is known to disapprove of cast members breaking character. But when Gosling is involved, the comedy show's boss has different rules.

"I did not get yelled [at] after that," said Padilla. "Lorne said to me, ‘This show takes on Ryan's spirit.' Ryan shows up, and he goes, ‘This is mine in a way that's enlightening,' and it made me have fun and loosen up. I did not get in trouble; it was celebrated."

Padilla wrote the sketch with StreeterSeidell, MikeyDay, and AlisonGates for Gosling's March 7 episode. She told them, "You guys write the notes and see if you could make me break essentially."

Her fellow writers took her request seriously. "They succeeded," Padilla conceded.

"Passing Notes" wasn't the only time the actress broke Michaels' cardinal rule.

In the sketch "Cyclops," Gosling played one of the three feebleminded cyclops attempting to access a hidden treasure that Padilla's character protected.

"I was trying very hard not to break in the show because I didn't want to get in trouble. But then ‘Cyclops' happened," she said.

Padilla joined Saturday Night Live in 2024 and has become a breakout star. Before the late-night comedy show, she was a member of The Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based sketch and improv group, and the assistant to actress DianeKeaton.

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 12:45 PM.