Julia Louis Dreyfus comedian plays her most heartbreaking part to date on Tuesday.
It’s nothing new for Julia Louis-Dreyfus to make people laugh. The 63-year-old actor is most known for his dry punchlines and one-liners, which have been featured on Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, and Veep. However, she played a very different part in Tuesday, the fantasy drama directed by Daina Oniunas-Pusić, this year. Dreyfus portrays Zora, a mother facing the unavoidable death of her 15-year-old daughter Tuesday (Lola Petticrew), who has a fatal illness. When Death shows up at Tuesday’s bedside as a macaw, Zora has to fight the strange bird to save her daughter. Here, Louis-Dreyfus discusses entering a beautifully unreal world and navigating loss.
Tuesday isn’t a comedy at all. Considering your history in comedy, this would seem like a pretty weird script to present to you.
I did ask myself, Why me? However, I’m actually glad it was me since it gave me the chance to try something totally different from what I’m used to. Despite its inherent humor, the topic was extremely serious. The narrative has a really enticing fairy-tale vibe from Eastern Europe. What really captured my attention—spoiler alert!—was that the mother I portray would stop at nothing to avoid Death, even if it meant consuming Death. I adore that’s symbolic.
Since you’re a combative person?
Yes, I am both a mother and a fighter.
It must have sounded like such a change in tone.
It had a challenging tone. Between takes, I definitely cracked a lot of jokes. However, there needs to be an emotional commitment. People dear to me have passed away in my own life. I needed to use all of that. When I was speaking to this huge bird, there had to be a genuine dramatic authenticity. It was absurd.
How did it feel to be paired with a bird for a scene?
Arinzé Kene plays the role of the Bird of Death. He is amazing. He performed a large portion of the bird’s physicality while we were on set. Around him, they then became animated. However, I didn’t consider the bird to be a bird. I considered it to be a creature. I was negotiating with someone who held power that I needed to deprive them of when I was having scenes with it.
Have you received any additional offers for similar, sadder, or more serious roles?
No, I haven’t really. I frequently get hilarious stuff from people. However, I contend that the films I’ve produced with Nicole Holofcener have a gloomy tone. There are undoubtedly dramas in her stories.
Did you focus on comedy when you first started trying out in college?
I went to all the auditions. I got cast on Saturday Night Live while I was a college student. I performed at the Second City and Practical Theatre Co. in Chicago, but it was improv. It continued from there when I kind of got caught up in the humor.
Did you always have a sense of humor? Growing up, did you think you were a funny person?
Most likely. Yes.
Can you play charades well?
Very. I enjoy playing charades a lot. I enjoy celebrities as well. The game is fantastic.
Who did you have a movie crush on as a child?
I adored Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand when I was younger. I fell in love with Robert De Niro as I grew older. I adored humorous men. For heaven’s sake, Gene Wilder was someone I liked. Anyone with a sense of humor?
Are you a star-struck person?
Indeed. The result is that I back off. Sometimes I lose it. I was ecstatic when I first saw Meryl Streep at one of those wild parties in Hollywood.