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Former Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres who worked with the NBC show from 2016 to 2019 opened up about the most "cringeworthy moment" he had faced during his tenure. In an April 13 interview with The Guardian, he shared a story about a time when he mistakenly thought Shawn Mendes was an intern.
Julio recalled that the There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back singer was walking around confidently in the sets of Saturday Night Live. Julio assumed he was a young intern, possibly from NYU, who was getting too comfortable.
"No one cringed, no one was harmed, but I did think that Shawn Mendes was an intern. I was like, what is this intern doing just like strolling the halls?" Julio recalled.
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However, Julio later realized his mistake when he saw Mendes rehearsing his musical performance on monitors when he grasped the fact that he was actually the guest star.
Former Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres on his creative journey from writing to directing
While Julio Torres made his name in the entertainment industry by writing, he has recently transitioned to acting and directing as well. Julio is currently starring in HBO's Fantasmas which he has also written and directed.
When talking to the news podcast 1A on January 22, 2025, he opened up about two of his projects, Problemista and Fantasmas.
According to Julio, both the projects were released close together due to unforeseen scheduling changes caused by COVID and strikes.
He noted that while others considered it a big year, he didn't feel the same way because he wasn't actively creating new work during that time.
Instead, he was focused on releasing existing projects, which is a different part of the process.
"They're both relatively small projects. So, it's not like... I hope no one felt that I was being shoved down their throats," stated Julio.
Julio opened up further and revealed that he struggled with the business side of his projects, particularly the numerous meetings and discussions about strategy.
He found it challenging to deal with many people being involved, making the project just one of many tasks for them.
Julio recalled that he became preoccupied with his existing work, which hindered his ability to create something new.
He felt like he was constantly looking back at past projects instead of moving forward. For example, he wrote Problemista in 2020, but promoting it took him back to that time instead of allowing him to focus on new ideas.
In the interview, Julio mentioned that he worked on his movie for several years. He wrote it in 2020, directed it in 2021, and edited it in 2022.
The release date was pushed back multiple times, finally coming out in 2024. According to Julio, he felt like a long time had passed since he worked on the movie.
He viewed it as a reflection of his past creative self, and discussing it felt strange because he had moved on to new projects.
"So, it was sort of like a fall start. So, it just felt like, it felt so long. And it feels like, you know, I haven't seen the movie in a bit," expressed the former Saturday Night Live writer Julio.
The former Saturday Night Live writer found toys fascinating because they often come with a specific message or emotion.
He enjoyed subverting these expectations, as he felt toy manufacturers try to guide children's imaginations in a certain direction.
However, according to the former Saturday Night Live writer, kids can interpret toys in their own way, creating unexpected stories and scenarios.
Julio was intrigued by the challenge of predicting how children would use their imagination with a toy, as their ideas were quite different from what the makers intended them to be.
Watch new episodes of Saturday Night Live on Saturdays at 11:30 pm ET on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
