Larry David couldn’t help but break character Tuesday night at Hollywood’s American Legion Theater, admitting he was not only excited about his latest HBO series, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, but that he even went as far as to say he was enthusiastic about it.
The Seinfeld mastermind, Curb Your Enthusiasm architect, and former history major introduced the first two episodes of his highly anticipated seven-episode limited series, which debuts June 26 on HBO and features an array of guest stars including Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, and Rita Wilson. Before the screening, David took the stage to address the crowd in classic fashion, tracing his signature cynicism back to his childhood.
“When I was 12, my family said, ‘Hey, we are going to drive to Miami from Brooklyn for the Christmas holiday,’” David recalled. “As a 12-year-old, it’s not a great idea to be stuck in a car with your parents for 20 hours. My mother kept saying to me, ‘Are you excited, Larry? Are you excited to go to Miami?’ I said, ‘No. No, I am not.’ The 12-year-old Larry is not that much different than the 78-year-old Larry,” he explained. “She said, ‘You never get excited about anything.’ Well, I have to say tonight, I am a little excited. Dare I say, enthusiastic.”
The unexpected venture into historical comedy came from an equally unexpected partnership. The series is produced in collaboration with Barack and Michelle Obama’s production banner, Higher Ground.
David penned and executive produced the series with longtime creative partner Jeff Schaffer, who also directs the project’s unique blend of comedy sketches exploring pivotal moments in American history with a twist.
The premiere drew stars such as Henry Winkler, Kaley Cuoco, Sarah Silverman and Curb Your Enthusiasm alumni Susie Essman and Vince Vaughn. Attendees celebrated at the after-party by nibbling on a decidedly patriotic menu of macaroni and cheese balls, French fries, American pie, and ice cream.
Explaining the origin of the show, David admitted his college degree finally paid off after more than half a century.
“This came about, my agent called me and said Higher Ground, Obama’s company, wanted to do a show with me about the celebration of the 250th anniversary of America,” David explained. “I liked the idea. I was a history major because you never know when you are going to get into a discussion on the Franco-Prussian War. Everybody said to me at the time, with a history major, what are you going to do with that? You can’t do anything with that. Fifty-five years later, they were right … until now. Now I have done something with it.”
