Pete Davidson responds to whether his character in the new Eddie Murphy action comedy, The Pickup, has anything to do with his SNL character, Chad the pool boy. Introduced in the April 16, 2016, sketch titled “Pool Boy” on Saturday Night Live, Chad famously responded only “okay” and “cool” to the dramatic breakup speech given by housewife Mrs. Handler, with whom he’s having an affair.
In Murphy’s new movie for Prime Video, Pete Davidson plays Travis, a young truck driver who has trouble reading verbal and physical cues. Characterized by his loudmouthed nature, he comes from a family of cops but failed the police entrance exams.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Davidson talked about his iconic SNL character, Chad the pool boy, and how he ended up playing the role when asked whether he tapped into his time at SNL to depict The Pickup‘s Travis.
Davidson shared that he believes Chad was the result of “the writers making fun of” how he responds to directions in real life, which ended up becoming a famous running gag. Check out his answers below:
EXCLUSIVE: Liam Crowley: Pete, to start with you, when we first meet your character of Travis, he is entranced by Zoe [Keke Palmer]. He’s got this kind of thousand yard stare and goes, “Oh, hey.” And it reminded me a lot of your Chad the pool boy character from SNL. Do you find yourself, when you’re doing these big blockbuster movies, tapping into some of those comedic timing bits that you gained over your years at SNL?
Pete Davidson: So it’s funny, the Chad thing, that was the writers making fun of me, so I didn’t know. They were like, “Hey, we’re writing this thing. It’s the pool boy,” or whatever. We didn’t know it was going to turn into my only character there, but it was because of how I would take direction. Someone would come up to me and be like, “Okay, in this scene you have to do this, and then look at that.” And I’d be like, “Okay.”
So they found that hilarious and they just thought, what if we had these giant monologues and these giant serious, insane situations with these Academy Award-winning actors and actresses, and my response was just, “Sick.” So that’s where that came from. So that’s just me, which is, I don’t know if that’s flattering or embarrassing or whatever, but yeah, if you ask any of my friends though, that’s just how I respond.
Travis is a prominent figure who serves The Pickup‘s plot in a comedic and unexpected manner. Before the armored truck heist, Travis meets Zoe and misreads her cues for an attempted robbery. Regardless, the two spend a weekend together, during which he shares all the crucial details about the armored truck routes that Zoe later uses in her heist to target the very truck.
While Travis doesn’t have any explicit connection to Chad, Davidson’s comment sheds some light on how his raw comedic talent bleeds into his performance in this new drama. From horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies to rom-com Set it Up, the star has been in more than a dozen comedy-oriented movies, but his role in The Pickup may be the closest thing to his iconic SNL character.
Our Take On Travis In The Pickup
Since The Pickup‘s release, Davidson has received both praise and criticism for his performance. While some compared him to Jerry Lewis, others believed the script limited his comedic talent in a way that resulted in an underwhelming performance.
On the other hand, what most critics could agree on is that The Pickup wouldn’t have worked without Pete Davidson’s Travis, the naive but relatable goofball who gifted viewers countless funny scenes and made the plot possible.
In ScreenRant‘s review of The Pickup, Alex Harrison points out how Travis’s presence “deflates the movie” by drawing parallels with his iconic SNL character and how the actor “gets the most wins here.” Those who loved Davidson’s Chad shouldn’t miss out on The Pickup.
The Pickup
3/10
- Release Date
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August 6, 2025
- Runtime
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94 Minutes
- Director
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Tim Story
- Writers
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Matt Mider, Kevin Burrows
