Julia Louis-Dreyfus experience on SNL nearly pushed her to never act again

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has opened up about her experience on SNL and said that her time on the comedy show nearly pushed her to never act again.

Years before landing her iconic role as Elaine Banes in Seinfeld, the American actress spend three years on Saturday Night Live and built up the base of her comedy career. However, Julia has revealed that she had second thoughts about staying in the industry after appearing on SNL.

When was she on SNL?

Julia joined Saturday Night Live in 1982 when she was only 21 and stayed on the NBC show until 1985. She was the youngest female star to appear on the comedy show at the time.

She managed to land the exciting role after her stellar performance at The Practical Theatre Company’s Golden 50th Anniversary Jubilee.

During her time on SNL, she worked alongside other Hollywood icons like Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, and Martin Short.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus shares experience on SNL

While many actors would agree that an SNL stint is a dream come true, Julia shared that her time on the show was “very challenging”.

In a new interview with The Guardian, the actress, 62, admitted that SNL wasn’t “the most wretched experience of my life” but it nearly pushed her to never act again.

“I was so fundamentally unhappy for those three years,” she admitted and added: “But it was very challenging. I knew I couldn’t keep that going. And if this was what it meant to be in show business, I wanted nothing to do with it. I had this feeling: if I can’t find the fun again, I can walk away from this.”

Julia’s career

After leaving SNL in 1985, she joined the Seinfeld cast as Elaine Banes and appeared in episodes of the beloved TV show from 1990 to 1998.

While appearing in Seinfeld, she landed roles in Father’s Day alongside Billy Crystal and Robin Williams and in Deconstructing Harry.

Some of the Hollywood star’s most recent roles include the Marvel TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as the movies Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Black Widow.

Larita Shotwell

Update: 2024-06-24

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