Lucy Liu Reprises Kill Bill Role in SNL Sketch (That Was Shockingly Cut for Time)

Saturday Night Live released a “unique” retelling of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It’s a straightforward adaptation of the story for a full minute, and then it became a Quentin Tarantino fever dream.

Lucy Liu reprised her Kill Bill character in a cut-for-time Saturday Night Live sketch. A Quentin Tarantino film is often a highlight in any actor’s career, and Liu got hers after breakout stints in two Charlie’s Angels Movies; she was cast in Kill Bill: Volume 1 as O-Ren Ishii. Liu played a one-and-done character, however; Beatrix Kiddo sliced O-Ren’s cranium clean off toward the end of the film. Kill Bill‘s iconic moments have been referenced and imitated in media since, but so far, Liu’s scenes have not been parodied. SNL‘s reimagining of How the Grinch Stole Christmas broke that streak.

The SNL sketch was unassuming at first, accurately depicting excerpts from the Dr. Seuss storybook: the Grinch understands the meaning of Christmas and goes to make amends with the people of Whoville. The twist comes after the one-minute mark. While helping out to decorate the Whoville Christmas tree, the Grinch drops the ornament star, which impales a Who underneath. That initial shock sparks a panic of deadly accidents. Grinch attempts to walk away from the mayhem but a Who stops his tracks. It turns out that Who is named Cindy Liu Who, sister of Lucy Liu Who; Lucy Liu steps in as O-Ren Ishii to exact vengeance for Whoville.

Saturday Night Live Parodied Other Quentin Tarantino Movies

SNL has toyed with Quentin Tarantino’s films in previous sketches, including “Give All Our Daughters Back”, an Expendables parody that included Beatrix Kiddo among other action movie protagonists. “Djesus Uncrossed’ also reimagined the Easter story as Django Unchainedwith Jesus resurrected to exact bloody revenge against Roman soldiers. Tarantino hosted Saturday Night Live once, in November 1995. He has helmed Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction at that point. In December 2000, Liu became the first Asian woman to host SNL; she was then part of Ally McBeal‘s ensemble. She took that opportunity to celebrate the milestone in her opening monologue, which also poked fun at prevailing misconceptions about Asians.

Liu has starred in four films released in 2024; Presence, The Tiger’s Apprentice, Old Guyand Red One. Released as a Yuletide movie on Nov. 15, Red One underperformed at the box office despite its stellar ensemble and family-friendly storyline. “I’ve never done a holiday movie before,” Liu told Elle. She’s been directing episodes of TV shows like Graceland, Luke Cage, Law & Order: Special Victims Unitand New Amsterdam since 2014, but her latest milestone is having her eight-year-old son watch her on screen for the first time, in Red One. “Women have so much power, and we juggle so much,” she mused. “We are the center from which the circle extends.”

SNL airs Saturdays on NBC. Red One is streaming on Prime Video.

Source: Saturday Night Live via YouTube