Armando Iannucci’s Veep isn’t just one of the best, funniest, and smartest shows HBO has ever put out, it’s one of the best, funniest, and smartest shows to grace the small screen, regardless of network. And now that Kamala Harris has gone from VP to Presidential candidate, the series’ viewership has absolutely skyrocketed. This week, Julia Louis-Dreyfus sat down with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to discuss the renewed interest in the show and recent comparisons between Veep and the current election.
Colbert mentioned that Veep‘s viewership has risen by 350%. Louis-Dreyfus called that “a great thing,” but she also wanted to address part of the reason behind the recent uptick. Specifically, the fact that Selina Meyer and Kamala Harris are two very, very different people.
Let me explain to you: On Veep, I played a narcissistic, megalomaniac sociopath, and that is not Kamala Harris. It might be another candidate in the race.
Veep
Former Senator Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has accepted the call to serve as Vice President of the United States. The job is nothing like she imagined and everything she was warned about. Veep follows Meyer and her staff as they attempt to make their mark and leave a lasting legacy, without getting tripped up in the day-to-day political games that define Washington. Meyer’s inner circle includes: her chief of staff Amy (Anna Chlumsky), longtime press spokesperson Mike McClintock (Matt Walsh), right hand and body man Gary (Tony Hale) and secretary Sue (Sufe Bradshaw) all of whom often do battle with Dan Egan (Reid Scott) an ambitious interloper and smug White House liaison Jonah (Tim Simons).
- Release Date
- April 22, 2012
- Seasons
- 7
Which Veep Character Reminds Louis-Dreyfus of JD Vance?
So, Louis-Dreyfus knows which Veep character isn’t reminiscent of a current political figure. But what about Hillbilly Elegy author and Donald Trump’s equally insufferable running mate JD Vance? Louis-Dreyfus immediately had an answer:
That would be Jonah Ryan. I’m sure he’s made love to many couches.
Interestingly enough, the show pulled from Trump’s rise and effectively gave that storyline to Jonah. So, in a way, he’s both Trump and Vance. Colbert then asked the former Seinfeld star to name her favorite scene from Veep – not just in general, but one that’s relevant to the extra difficulties women face on the political landscape. Louis-Dreyfus picked a scene shared between Meyer and Matt Walsh’s goofy White House press secretary Mike McLintock.
He came to me with this speech, and the speech began ‘as a woman.’ And I looked at him and I said, ‘First of all, as a woman, I’m not gonna start a speech with ‘as a woman,’ because I can’t identify as a woman. Men hate that and women who hate women hate that, which is most women.
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It’s a great scene to select for shining a light on the uphill battle women must face in politics. But, in a true life-saver for America, it seems that Harris’ battle against Trump is looking less and less of the uphill variety with each passing day. Louis-Dreyfus’ interview with Colbert follows below.