For all his "Saturday Night Live" successes, show creator Lorne Michaels admits there are a few almost sure things he let slip away.

With the show set to celebrate its 40th anniversary later this month with a star-studded production showcasing many of its all-time greatest cast mates, Michaels told The Hollywood Reporter passing on such eventual industry heavyweight as Jim Carrey, Stephen Colbert, Lisa Kudrow and Steve Carell still haunt him.

"Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell auditioned," Michaels said. "Lisa Kudrow gave a brilliant audition. I wasn't at the Jim Carrey audition, but somebody who was there said, 'I don't think Lorne would like it,' and they were probably wrong. No one gets it all right."

Carrey actually auditioned for the show on several occasions, each time falling just short of making the cast for reasons ranging from his inexperience to the differing viewpoints of the show's producers.

Reportedly, Carell lost out in his bid to find a permanent home with the show in 1995 when the opening for which he was auditioning went to Will Ferrell. Meanwhile, Colbert briefly worked for the show as a freelance writer but was never invited to join the acting ensemble.

Michaels told the industry trade publication he still remembers being completely "blown away" by Kudrow's riveting audition, but he insists the timing was bad because at the time the show already had acts featuring Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn.

The 40th anniversary show is slated to air on Sunday, Feb. 15, on NBC. Eddie Murphy, Jack Nicholson, Chris Rock, Dana Carvey, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, Jimmy Fallon, Chevy Chase, Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake, Christopher Walken, Garrett Morris, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph are already confirmed to take part in the show.

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