Both Kamala Harris and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” star Selina Meyer, have been vice presidents, but the actress says that's where the similarities end.
During an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” live from the Democratic National Convention, Louis-Dreyfus discussed the surge in popularity of “Veep” after President Joe Biden dropped out of this year's election and Harris announced her candidacy.
When Colbert mentioned the fact that Veep’s viewership had increased by 350 percent, Louis-Dreyfus said, “I think that’s great.” However, she felt the need to point out that Mayer and Harris do not share the same personality traits.
“Let me explain, on Veep I played a character who was a narcissistic, paranoid psychopath, and that’s not Kamala Harris,” she said, adding, “That could be another candidate in the race.”
Colbert then asked her which character Louis-Dreyfus most reminded her of Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance. “That's Jonah Ryan,” she said, referring to the White House liaison played by Timothy Simmons, who constantly clashes with members of her staff.
“I'm sure he's made love to many sofas,” Louis-Dreyfus joked.
Although “Veep” is a comedy, Colbert pointed to the fact that the film is largely about the harsh treatment of women in politics. When asked if she had a favorite scene that embodied this, Louis-Dreyfus pointed to a moment between Meyer and Mike McClintock, played by Matt Walsh.
“He came to me with his speech, and he started it with ‘as a woman.’ I looked at him and said, ‘First of all, as a woman, I’m not going to start my speech with ‘as a woman,’ because I can’t define myself as a woman,” Louis-Dreyfus recalled. “Men hate it, and women who hate women hate it, and that’s true of most women.”
Watch Louis-Dreyfus' conversation with Colbert below.
