Glen Powell and Chloe Fineman on 'Saturday Night Live'. Esther Kuhn/NBC

Will Forte was filming Tina Fey's Netflix series in upstate New York when his phone buzzed with a message that would trigger a chaotic 72-hour sprint back to his SNL roots. "Glen Powell reached out through mutual friends," Forte reveals exclusively. "He was about to host SNL for the first time and wanted advice. Then he dropped the bomb: 'I have an idea for MacGruber.'"

Forte was deep into shooting season two of The Four Seasons with Fey in Beacon, N.Y., when the MacGruber resurrection talks began. "My first thought was, 'There's no way I can do this,'" he admits. "I figured maybe they wanted a 30-second cameo during the monologue. I didn't realize we'd be pulling an all-nighter to write an entire sketch."

What followed was a sleep-deprived marathon that pushed Forte to his limits. "The original MacGruber crew — me, John Solomon, and Jorma Taccone — reunited for a writing session that felt like time travel," Forte says. "We worked through the night, just like the old SNL days when you're running on fumes and adrenaline."

But the real challenge was the logistical nightmare that followed. Forte was juggling three major commitments simultaneously: SNL, The Four Seasons, and a Huntington's disease awareness campaign with Teva that hits close to home.

"Here's what that week looked like," Forte recounts. "Write MacGruber sketches between Four Seasons shoots, rush to act in scenes, back to the computer, drive into the city, stay up until 3 a.m. writing, wake at 6 a.m. to film MacGruber, then straight back to Beacon for night shoots. Repeat."

Will Forte as MacGruber on 'Saturday Night Live'. Esther Kuhn/NBC

The climax came on Saturday. "I raced back to the city for the Huntington's campaign shoot with Teva, wrapped that, then sprinted to 30 Rock to edit the MacGruber sketch," Forte says. "It was pure chaos — exactly like the old days."

Will Forte in Los Angeles on Aug. 14, 2025. Amy Sussman/Getty

The Huntington's campaign is deeply personal for Forte. His brother-in-law, Douglas, was diagnosed with the inherited disorder that causes brain nerve cells to deteriorate. "More people have Huntington's than ALS, but everyone knows ALS," Forte explains. "We're trying to change that — to build community and educate people."

Forte's advice for supporting those affected: "Be present. Create strong support networks. And talk about it openly — saying something is always better than silence."

In the end, Forte pulled off what seemed impossible: resurrecting a beloved character while advocating for an important cause, all on minimal sleep. "It was exhausting," he concludes, "but sometimes the most chaotic moments bring you back to what matters most."