Bill Hader’s Secret Weapon on ‘SNL’ and ‘Superbad': Neil Gaiman

It may have only been a coincidence that comedian Bill Hader was re-reading the Sandman books when he was approached by the producers of NBC's Saturday Night Live to audition for, and eventually earn, a spot on the show.

But you can't call it anything but serendipity when Seth Rogen -- a rising star in Judd Apatow's comedy troup prominently featured in Knocked Up and 40-Year-Old Virgin -- offered Hader a co-starring role as the crazy cop in Superbad, based on a brief conversation with the native Oklahoman about Sandman scribe Neil Gaiman whilst both were shooting bit parts in You, Me and Dupree two years ago.

Never knew reading Neil's work could channel such karma, according to a piece in Sunday's New York Times. Maybe, I'd better start now!

As for Hader's considerable geek credentials outside the realm of comics, you'll also want to read this interview about the comedian's work on the 2004 documentary, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, which explains all the Star Wars references in Superbad.

And, you'll learn how an impression of a dying Tauntaun can be funny too...