Marcello Hernández Reflects on Former 'Sales Job' Following SNL Promotion: 'Really Mind-Blowing' (Exclusive)

Life has changed in almost innumerable ways for Marcello Hernández since he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2022.

The 27-year-old comedian "used to sell tickets on the street" for his stand-up sets, he tells PEOPLE, and now, he calls stars and cultural icons like Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny his friends.

"I used to have a headset sales job and was doing comedy in very small venues and for very little people," he says. "All this is really just a blessing. And it's not lost on me."

A Miami native of Cuban and Dominican heritage, the opportunities Hernández has been offered feel extra pinch-me at times.

"All of it is really mind-blowing," he says of the chance to highlight his family's experiences on such historic stages. "It means a lot to me. I wish my grandmother could see some of it."

There's perhaps no better example of just how pinch-me life is getting than the "Protective Mom" sketch Hernández and Pedro Pascal did on SNL last year, which they then revisited in October 2023 when Bad Bunny hosted the show.

"It changed my life in a lot of ways that sketch, and how it picked up on social media. It's definitely like a before and after [photo]," he says.

"Meeting Benito was also really cool, to be close to somebody that's that at his level," Hernández continues of the Puerto Rican singer, 30. "I think that associating myself with them was a really big moment, and to bring a sketch back, it was a big moment."

Hernández brings visibility to key parts of his Latino heritage weekly on SNL, and this Hispanic Heritage Month, he's partnered with Buchanan's Scotch Whisky to launch the #ComoLoDigas campaign as a means of celebrating his own identity as a 200%er — and the brand's 200%er consumer base.

"There's a lot of 200%ers out there," Hernández says, himself included. "I'm 100% American, but also 100% Latino, and I like to represent."

As a big fan of whisky in general, the partnership is a perfect fit. "I remember seeing [Buchanan's] a lot when I was growing up at parties.... I think just highlighting people like myself who are American and also feel very connected to their family and their [Latino] roots is important."

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This Hispanic Heritage Month, Buchanan's Scotch Whisky is partnering with SNL Cast Member and 200%er Marcello Hernandez to launch the #ComoLoDigas campaign, to celebrate and display the many ways that our 200% fans pronounce (and enjoy) Buchanan’s and show that what may differentiate Latinos in language unites them in community.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.