Kamala Harris and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ “Veep” character Selina Meyer were both vice presidents, but that’s where their similarities end, says the actress.
During a live appearance on the “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” from the Democratic National Convention, Louis-Dreyfus discussed the surge in popularity that “Veep” has experienced following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from this year’s election and Harris’ announcement of her candidacy.
When Colbert brought up the fact that “Veep” viewership has increased by 350%, Louis-Dreyfus said, “I think that’s a great thing?” Still, she felt the need to clarify that Meyer and Harris do not share the same personality traits.
“Let me explain: On ‘Veep,’ I played a narcissistic, megalomaniacal sociopath, and that’s not Kamala Harris,” she said, adding, “It could be another candidate in the race.”
Colbert then asked which “vice president” Louis-Dreyfus most reminded of Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate, JD Vance. “That would be Jonah Ryan,” she said, referring to Meyer’s White House liaison, played by Timothy Simons, who constantly clashes with members of her staff.
“I’m sure he made love to many sofas,” joked Louis-Dreyfus.
Although Veep is a comedy, Colbert mentioned that it dealt a lot with the harsh treatment of women in politics. When asked if she had a favorite scene that reflected this, Louis-Dreyfus pointed to a moment between Meyer and Matt Walsh’s Mike McLintock.
“He came to me with this speech and the speech started with ‘as a woman.’ And I looked at him and said, ‘First of all, as a woman, I’m not going to start a speech with ‘as a woman’ because I don’t identify as a woman,'” Louis-Dreyfus recalled. “Men hate that and women who hate women hate that, which is most women.”
Watch Louis-Dreyfus’ chat with Colbert below.
