Julia Louis-Dreyfus He is famous for his comedy. The veteran actress, winner of the Mark Twain Award for American Humor and the National Medal of Arts, and a member of the Television Academy Hall of Fame, holds the record for the most Emmy Awards for acting with the late Cloris Leachman, eight, spread among her most memorable television comedies. Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Vice President – With three other productions.
But, interestingly, what brought her to this year’s Cannes Film Festival – where she visited Meta House to record an episode of “Meta House.” Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards talks Podcast in front of an audience of festival-goers – it was the world premiere of a very moving film drama: Entanglementthe first animated feature film directed by Leah Nelson, which was adapted from Sarah Levitt’s 2010 graphic memoir of the same name. The film chronicles the impact of her mother – voiced by Louis-Dreyfus, who was also a producer on the film – being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Over the course of an hour, the 65-year-old actress reflected on her path to acting. Her performing streak in elementary, middle, and high school led her to study and practice theater at Northwestern University — but she left school after three years because she was offered a job at Saturday Night LiveAt just 21 years old, she is the youngest cast member to date. She did not enjoy her three years on the show (1982-1985), but, during her third year, she was linked to an equally unhappy new writer there: Larry David.
Not long afterward, David and Jerry Seinfeld co-created the sitcom that was initially eponymous Seinfeld Chroniclesand did not feature a female star, when it debuted on NBC in 1989. At the network’s insistence, such a character was added, and Louis-Dreyfus, at David’s request, was cast in the role of Elaine Benes. It quickly became clear to her – if not as quickly to the fans, who took some time to accept the offer – that… Seinfeldas it was renamed, was something special. “The comedies on television had a familiar rhythm to her,” she recalled. “This show wasn’t like that. This show was kind of almost anti-joke in a way. I recognized the difference on the page, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is weird.’ It’s as if my friends got into the system and fooled everyone!”
In 1998, after nine seasons during which the show became very popular, Seinfeld The broadcast went off the air and Louis-Dreyfus, like her co-stars, had to figure out how to follow up on his success. She appeared in two other network comedies, Watch Ellie (2002-03) and The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006-10), before moving to cable with HBO Vice President (2012-19), Armando Iannucci’s submission for Vice President of the United States. “The idea of vice president is so delicious because you made it…but you,” she remembers thinking. Didn’t do that I did it!”
Louis-Dreyfus, who partly grew up in Washington, D.C., also saw interesting parallels between D.C. and Hollywood: “In politics and in show business, you’re selling a brand. The brand is yourself and you’re trying to stay relevant over time. For example, I’m here with you now trying to stay relevant. And in politics, the same is exactly true. I can relate to that, and as a woman growing up in the business, or getting older in the D.C. world, it all seemed that way.” Very logical.
In addition to her popular comedy series, Louis-Dreyfus has been part of a wide range of other notable projects, starting with more dramatic roles in Nicole Holofcener’s films. He said enough (2013) and You hurt my feelings (2023) and indie art house Tuesday (2023), to play CIA Director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in Marvel projects The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and Lightning strikes* (2025).
As for Entanglement? It was sent to Louis-Dreyfus by Lauren Miller Rogen, the producer and wife of Seth who became an Alzheimer’s activist, and it struck a chord with her. “There is Alzheimer’s in my family,” she explained. “My grandmother died from this disease and my mother-in-law is currently suffering from it, and I understand the disease very well, and the toll it can take on a family. I’m living it as we speak. This project intrigued me immediately as well because it was based on this unusual graphic novel, and the idea of tackling this topic through adult-oriented animation was very interesting to me.”
The film deals with heavy subject matter but manages to retain a sense of humor as well. “Ultimately, this film is about connection, being present in the community, and the value of family,” says Louis-Dreyfus. “All of that is so needed now, certainly in our country, and globally. I hope that through this film, when people watch it, they may find a new way to be close to those they love during difficult moments.”
