HBO
Jim Henson was a creative force of nature whose singular creative achievement continues to enchant adults and children alike 34 years after his tragically untimely death. Indeed, whether they’re teaching us to count or goofing around with flesh-and-blood movie stars, we need the Muppets now more than ever. They’re felt, furry joy machines that reflect their creator’s humanistic vision of the world.
So if you find yourself tasked with portraying Henson in a film about the mid-1970s creation of “Saturday Night Live,” you might want to cast an actor whose previous characters have embodied these noble qualities. If so, you might not immediately think of Nicholas Braun.
Best known for his portrayal of the clumsily conniving Cousin Greg on Jesse Armstrong’s scathingly funny corporate media satire “Succession,” Braun’s characters tend to make our skin crawl. Okay, he was adorable as Zack Attack in “Sky High,” but that was almost two decades ago when he was 16. He’s a grown man now, and he specializes in jerks.
But he’s set to be Henson in Jason Reitman’s “SNL 1975,” which the director co-wrote with his “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” collaborator Gil Kenan. Reitman has been assembling a massive ensemble cast over the last couple of months, and he’s mostly avoided big names. Looking over his cast right now, Braun might be the biggest name he’s gone with thus far.
Braun might also bring some other unwanted baggage to the production that has nothing to do with playing Cousin Greg.
Braun has been accused of inappropriate behavior toward young women
HBO
Last year, several women alleged that Braun had acted inappropriately toward them when they were teenagers. One Twitter account claimed Braun “has a strange affinity following underage g*rls on social media.” The account stated that they had screenshots, but felt it would be inappropriate to post them.
There have also been allegations of Braun seeking to pick up college-aged girls at Ray’s, the Lower East Side bar he co-owns with Justin Theroux.
These stories have been public for almost an entire year, so it’s fairly certain that Reitman and company have looked into them and decided they can move forward in good conscience with Braun as Henson in “SNL 1975.” The film is scheduled to begin shooting this month.