Ben Marshall's first meeting in Hollywood didn't go as expected. Just a year after college, during the early days of his comedy career, he traveled to Los Angeles for a big opportunity with his friends Martin Herlihy and John Higgins, who were gaining fame with sketch videos on YouTube. However, the executives at Comedy Bang Bang made it clear that the work they would be doing was not what they thought; they just wanted to meet. Over time, Marshall managed to progress and is completing his first season as an official cast member of Saturday Night Live this month. After spending four seasons on the writing staff, he made a memorable start by kissing Harry Styles and making Jack Black uncontrollably laugh live on air.

As Marshall, now 31, looks back on his life, he is set to star in the film "72 Hours," which also features Kevin Hart. This big, broad, and crazy comedy film will be Marshall's first experience in cinema. "It was my first experience being hired as an actor," he says. However, he also expresses interest in doing something a bit more realistic. "A romantic comedy would be great," he adds.

Marshall's path resembles that of High School Musical. He grew up in Savannah, Georgia, and despite his love for comedy, he was pushed towards playing basketball. His father was a star athlete in college, even giving up a chance to go professional. But at 6'5", Marshall decided, "No dad, I want to act."

After transitioning to art school, he went to NYU and joined the prestigious improv group Hammerkatz. There, he met Herlihy, Higgins, and SNL writer Moss Perricone. These encounters showed him the way. The weekly shows of the group "Please Don't Destroy" at Von's bar in the East Village caught the attention of SNL cast member Heidi Gardner first, and then Lorne Michaels. Thus, the three friends became part of SNL's writing staff.

Marshall came to 30 Rock without a clear directive, but a short film he made presenting Jiffy Lube's hard seltzer line in a ridiculous way went viral. Following that, he began working week after week with A-list stars. In an idea he had for Sydney Sweeney, the director responded, "This is funny, but can we try another idea?" After such a successful start, new projects were expected for Marshall.