Getting to know Julia

May 4, 2023 12:50 PM

Despite the countless series I've seen her in, or the variety of profiles I've read about her across the decades, I've never really felt like I had any peg on Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a person. But she sat down for a 2-hour conversation with Pete Holmes for his podcast You Made It Weird, and across the first half-hour you can watch Pete peel away her defenses and by the end a more fully rounded portrait of her emerged. I really enjoyed this, much more than I expected going in.
posted by hippybear (16 comments total)

I like podcasts as much as the next person, BUT I also like these new services that summarize and transcribe YT videos. Just sayin.
posted by jeremias at 1:14 PM on May 4, 2023 [19 favorites]

pete is really good. it's worth backtracking over some older material.
posted by j_curiouser at 2:24 PM on May 4, 2023

Back in the heyday of Seinfeld, Julia’s community overlapped with my Jewish community, and we were both in attendance at a couple of weddings. Her presence there was… delightful. Remarkable. Ours was not a particularly wealthy community, yet she managed to walk what I felt must be a fine line between “your finest for a wedding” and “not finer than the families of the groom and bride.” She was both subdued and friendly, and blended into the sea of happy family and friends celebrating the momentous event in two young people’s lives. When people did recognize her, she was warm and responsive yet did this remarkable thing of moving their conversation into a lower energy level. To me, it looked like I was witnessing a very skilled person engage in a way that ensured she would never become the center of attention.

I know little about her a person beyond that, but left feeling such warmth and respect for her. What a mensch.
posted by Silvery Fish at 2:24 PM on May 4, 2023 [67 favorites]

Oh that YT summarization service is useful and often amusing.
posted by credulous at 2:52 PM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

PYM Choose is PYM Chews. He didn’t peel away any defenses— she knew exactly how she was going to respond.
posted by Ideefixe at 3:06 PM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

I still feel like we missed out on that cancelled Pete Holmes talk show. When he's on he's one of the most engaging interviewers I know.
posted by es_de_bah at 3:36 PM on May 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Another great spotlight on Julia is when Jerry Seinfeld had her on his Comedians/Cars/Coffee show on Netflix. Great interview, which was really just watching two friends who respect each other. Here's the intro.
posted by hydra77 at 4:47 PM on May 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

I also like these new services that summarize and transcribe YT videos. Just sayin.

@jeremias
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I need this in my life.
posted by quiet wanderer at 5:16 PM on May 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

Thank you for sharing!

Speaking of people fitting in well without being a diva, I had a similar experience with Mike McCready. He somehow ju-jitsu’d the conversation from YOU’RE THAT GUY to having a low key and friendly chat. It was pretty smooth and nice.
posted by jragon at 5:28 PM on May 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Related.. I just discovered JLD's own podcast today and am excited to dig into it.
posted by Taro at 6:15 PM on May 4, 2023 [4 favorites]

Oh that YT summarization service is useful and often amusing .

Total derail, but definitely one of the top five YouTube videos of all time.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:28 AM on May 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

But, you have to listen to her new podcast, too! Wiser Than Me where she interviews some cultural GIANTS specifically about being old. It’s delightful and profound and the people are interesting and it’s worth it. Take a walk and listen.
posted by amanda at 6:50 AM on May 5, 2023 [5 favorites]

But, you have to listen to her new podcast, too!

Cosigned! She may have missed her calling as an amazing interviewer.
posted by BrashTech at 6:53 AM on May 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

Like everyone I liked Seinfeld, but in each of her shows since I liked her more and more and now I just adore her.
posted by hypnogogue at 7:03 AM on May 5, 2023

There’s also an episode of David Letterman’s My Next Guest Netflix series (last episode of Season 4, direct link with autoplay)
posted by staggernation at 7:18 AM on May 5, 2023

I think I'd just like to say, I can appreciate those YouTube summary kinds of things if the video you're wanting to skip is information only. But I think a big part of watching a 2 hour interview like this is seeing the person's body language, hearing their tone of voice, and the entire cadence of the conversation. It feels a bit like reading the Cliffs Notes of Moby Dick but not having any experience of the depth and texture of the language involved with reading it. You might be able to pass the exam, but did you really have the experience?
posted by hippybear at 2:36 PM on May 5, 2023 [2 favorites]