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Julia Louis-Dreyfus Says She Was ‘Miserable’ in One of Her Past TV Roles

Sep 20, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, speaking at a recent SiriusXM Town Hall, admitted she was "pretty miserable" when she was on "Saturday Night Live," reports EW.com’s Inside TV.

Louis-Dreyfus, who was cast at age 21, said she "did not adapt well" to the show. That’s because she said she was used to the friendly environment of improv, while "SNL" was a “very dog-eat-dog” place when she was on the show in the early 1980s.

"Plus, there were a lot of drugs, and I didn’t realize everybody was on drugs,” she said.

Louis-Dreyfus was on the NBC sketch comedy show from 1982-1985, before going on to the role that made her a household name, playing Elaine on "Seinfeld." While she was at "SNL," Louis-Dreyfus befriended Larry David, who later gave her the "Seinfeld" job.

“Larry was there my third year,” she said. “He never got a sketch on the air. We sort of became friends because we identified with each other’s misery.”

Louis-Dreyfus played Elaine for nine seasons, as "Seinfeld" established itself as one of the most successful — and most revered — shows in TV history. After "Seinfeld" ended its run in 1998, she starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom "Watching Ellie."

Louis-Dreyfus has guested on a number of TV shows (including David’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm") and starred in the CBS sitcom "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and HBO’s "Veep," winning Emmys for her work on "Christine" and "Veep" — to add to her Emmy for "Seinfeld."

julia-louis-dreyfus.jpgJulia Louis-Dreyfus

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