As a follower, I can’t help but admire Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Her experience at Saturday Night Live serves as a stark reminder that even the most talented individuals can stumble along the way. However, it’s her ability to learn from these experiences, apply those lessons, and move forward with grace that truly sets her apart.
Even the funniest people can flop: just ask Julia Louis-Dreyfus about her Saturday Night Live audition. The Emmy-winning multi-hyphenate divulged details of her “excruciating” audition for Lorne Michaels’ long-running sketch show on her podcast Wiser Than Me, as first reported by Variety.
As a movie reviewer reflecting on my heart-wrenching encounter with fellow Saturday Night Live alumna Catherine O’Hara, I can still vividly recall the harrowing tale of Louis-Dreyfus’s audition ordeal. She painstakingly recounted how skits that once roared with laughter in Chicago met a dismal and agonizing fate during her fateful tryout. In her words, “Those sketches that had slain in Chicago were brutally slain that day. It was a torturous experience.
“We never had a chance,” she added.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Did Not Feel the Love at 30 Rock
At the tender age of 21, Julia Louis-Dreyfus joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1982. She spent three seasons with the show, making her the youngest cast member during her tenure on NBC’s program. However, transitioning wasn’t a smooth sail. “I was still with the Practical Theater company in Chicago when I first started,” she shared. “The producers of SNL came to see our performance and were captivated by it. They then invited us all to move to New York and become part of their show.
Nevertheless, the affection didn’t extend to the rest of the Saturday Night Live (SNL) team. When Louis-Dreyfus and her theater group journeyed to New York City, they were obligated to perform the initial act of their comedy show for the cast and scriptwriters. “Under harsh fluorescent lights in broad daylight before 20 rather cynical, unfriendly SNL actors and writers,” Louis-Dreyfus described, the group of complete novices flopped spectacularly.
She mentioned that they disliked us from the start since many of their close colleagues had recently been let go to make way for us. Moreover, this embarrassment significantly shaped our Saturday Night Live journey for the following two years, she admitted.
Louis-Dreyfus humorously remarked, “I’ve picked up quite a bit since that awkward encounter in an office on the 17th floor of 30 Rock.” Fortunately, the experiences during her audition didn’t scar the woman destined to portray Elaine Benes from Seinfeld and Selina Meyer in Veep (and many other roles) for long. It’s a reminder that even the most accomplished individuals can have off days, especially when entering close-knit environments like Saturday Night Live.
Reflecting back at my stint on Saturday Night Live during the 2019 Montclair Film fundraiser interview with Stephen Colbert, I labeled those years as a challenging yet educational period. The tumultuousness taught me that I wouldn’t subject myself to more show business if it wasn’t enjoyable.
In my own words, I realized that enduring such a gritty ordeal wasn’t necessary if it didn’t lead to personal satisfaction in the end. That experience guided me moving forward, as I started evaluating each job opportunity based on its fun factor since then, and this approach has proven beneficial for me.
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2024-10-31 22:02