Veep Creator Discusses Kamala Harris Comparisons: 'Inevitable'

summary

Iannucci denies that Selina Meyer is a copycat of Kamala Harris, insisting that Harris and Meyer's careers are coincidental.
The creator of Veep drew inspiration from real-world politics to create the absurdity and incompetence seen in the series.
Despite the comparisons on social media, executive producer David Mandel sees more similarities between Selina Meyer and Donald Trump than Kamala Harris.

vice president Creator Armando Iannucci knows that comparisons between Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) And Kamala Harris There’s no way around it, but that doesn’t mean he agrees. When US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the election on July 21, Vice President Kamala Harris quickly took center stage. While no Democratic nominee has been announced to replace Biden, Harris is expected to take over. Despite the obvious parallels—Kamala Harris is the first female vice president, just as Selina Meyer was. vice president – Iannucci wants to make it clear that the character was not “taken from Harris”. Speaking to The Guardian, Iannucci said:

“I don’t want people to think that Selena was in any way a model for Harris. But I do think [the comparisons] “They’re inevitable. They have the same kind of careers. Selena was a senator like Harris, and then she was torn from a powerful job to a frustratingly powerless one.”

vice presidentThe American President, which ran for seven seasons from 2012 to 2019, is a political satire that follows the turbulent career of U.S. Vice President (and later President) Selina Meyer. The show offers a scathing critique of the political landscape, exposing the absurdity and incompetence that often lingers in government.

Selena and her crew navigate dirty politics, chaos, and media scrutiny from the Oval Office to the campaign trail. Iannucci, who is best known for his work in political satire such as Vib, the deeper part of it, And In the episodeand also served vice presidentShow producer for four seasons (2012 to 2015)

Veep Season 3 Reflects 2024 Election Cycle

during vice presidentIn Season 3 of Season 1, Selina Meyer finds herself a presidential candidate when the president suddenly decides not to run for a second term (sound familiar?). Before serving as vice president, Harris served as a U.S. senator from 2017 to 2021, mirroring Selina Meyer’s career path. While these similarities might lead some to believe that Iannucci has psychic abilities, the truth, according to him, is far less bizarre:

“In the case of fiction, if you do your research right, the truth will always shine through. When we made
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“We spent a lot of time talking to the vice president’s office, the West Wing, state departments, senators. Representatives also met with their counterparts in Washington. So you get a rough idea of what the terrain is going to look like.”

To write the series, Iannucci took real-world events and pushed them “in the most stupid direction ever.”

Vice President Kamala Harris addresses a stunned crowd at the San Diego Community Conference during a panel discussion about The Simpsons

Don't buy a cow man, the Vice President loves The Simpsons just as much as we do.

Veep EP says Selena looks more like Trump than Kamala

Although social media users are pushing for comparisons between Harris and Selena, another candidate may have more in common with the fictional character. When examining Selina Meyer, we find an often inept but captivating character.

Despite her prominent role in politics, she is a novice in government. Despite her big ambitions (and her fierce attachment to power), she is often beyond her means. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, vice president Executive producer David Mandel (who also served as executive producer during its final three seasons) said:

“The candidate who most closely resembles Selena is Donald Trump. He’s arrogant, concerned about his appearance, has a ridiculously better relationship with people than he does with his children, petty, vindictive, concerned about his money, doesn’t believe what he says, whatever it is to win the election. And even Selena supported a woman’s right to choose — and she’s sticking with that right. And somewhere in there, she had a moral compass… or something. Maybe a gyroscope.”

vice president The series won 17 Emmy Awards during its seven seasons, including six consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Dreyfus and three for Outstanding Comedy Series. The series' viewership has increased by more than 350% since Kamala Harris's presidential bid became a possibility.

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Available to stream on Max.