Why Julia Louis-Dreyfus Hated Working On SNL
Before she became a celebrated comedic actress, Julia Louis-Dreyfus got her start on Saturday Night Live – though she ended up hating the experience. The sketch comedy series, which has been running on NBC since 1975, has featured some iconic cast lineups, with many alums of the show becoming bona fide stars. Though a lot of former cast members such as Kristen Wiig and Laraine Newman look back fondly on their SNL stints, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is an example of someone who had a less-than-stellar time working there.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was just 21 years old when she joined Saturday Night Live in 1982, making her the youngest female cast member at the time. Before her time on the show — long before her success as Elaine on Seinfeld — Louis-Dreyfus studied theater at Northwestern University and performed in the Chicago improvisational group The Second City, as well as Chicago-based The Practical Theatre Company. Her performance at the latter's «Golden 50th Anniversary Jubilee» led to an invitation to join Saturday Night Live. While on SNL, Louis-Dreyfus's recurring characters included Patti Lynn Hunnsacker, a teen correspondent on Weekend Update, and April May June, a televangelist, and she did a variety of celebrity impressions, such as Ali MacGraw and Andie MacDowell. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was on SNL for three seasons, from 1982 to 1985.
Related: The First Seinfeld Episode Elaine Wasn't In (& Why)
During a Q&A with Stephen Colbert, Julia Louis-Dreyfus revealed that her experience on Saturday Night Live was "a pretty brutal time"(via People)." Louis-Dreyfus, who was an SNL cast member alongside Eddie Murphy and Billy Crystal, said she felt naïve and didn't understand the dynamics of SNL. She also described the set during her
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