There are not many actors who go on to become successful directors. has somehow managed to pull off dual responsibilities in films like (and its sequel) and . Even though , Stiller's resume is filled with interesting acting projects as well (including comedy classics such as , , and the series.) With this stacked list of credits, you would think that Stiller could tackle anything. Well, everything except sketch comedy, that is.

Stiller was cast in the famous sketch comedy show, , back in 1988. In a recent interview with The New York Times, . and gained popularity as regulars on , and Stiller admitted that joining the SNL cast was "more just wanting to individuate from my father, wanting to be my own person, not being into their comedy." He also had grand ambitions to be a director and thought he could create short films for the series (like the Lonely Island or Please Don't Destroy digital shorts we're used to today). However, Stiller was in for a rude awakening when he realized that he'd actually need to participate in the live sketches as well. He stated, "I knew that I couldn't do well there because I wasn't great at live performing. My mom would have been better on the show. I got too nervous, I didn't enjoy it, and I wanted to be making short films."

Stiller quit Saturday Night Live after just four episodes. He's not even the cast member with the shortest stint on the sketch comedy show (that would be , who only appeared in one episode), but Stiller confesses that SNL creator wasn't exactly thrilled with his departure. Stiller remembers, "[Michaels] was like, 'Okay, Ben's going to do what Ben's going to do.' It wasn't great." It doesn't seem like Michaels held any kind of long-lasting grudge though. Stiller was asked to host the show in 1998 and 2011 and has made several cameos over the years. Luckily, Stiller listened to his gut when it came to where he wanted his career to go. Shortly after quitting SNL, Stiller was given the opportunity to make those short films he had in mind with on MTV. He said, "It had been my dream to be on Saturday Night Live, but looking back on it, I don't remember exactly how I had the gumption, but for whatever reason, I followed that instinct [to quit.]"

The Ben Stiller Show ran for just one season before it was cancelled, but it did give him the skills necessary to direct films such as in 1994 and all of his subsequent projects. Even though Stiller realized he just wasn't cut out for live comedy, saying, "I just felt I couldn't do well in that situation," he has certainly been able to find his niche with directing. Whether he was tackling big-budget comedies like Zoolander or intense Emmy-nominated dramas for the small screen, . According to Collider's review, Season 2 of Severance is notably "one of the most visually stunning shows on television thanks to its direction," proving that Stiller has found his voice as a director.

Even though Stiller likely won't be incorporating sketch comedy into his future projects, he has many plans for the future. He's helmed five Severance episodes for its current season and has several other projects in the pipeline (including a documentary about his parents). One thing is for certain: . Even though his mother and father were titans in the comedy world, Stiller has proven that he is a well-respected director who has many exciting things in store. And without that short stint on SNL, perhaps he never would have ended up in the director's chair today.

Saturday Night Live is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S. New episodes air Saturday nights on NBC.

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