Julia Louis-Dreyfus / Seriously funny woman

Julia was photographed in Manhattan, a mere 4.6 miles from the apartment in which she grew up. Look at her now, wearing a vintage Christian Dior coat from Anouschka Paris over a yellow silk top and matching skirt by VERSACE, with brown satin shoes by PRADA and sunglasses by DOLCE & GABBANA. Tights by WOLFORD.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Seriously funny woman

Text by Seb Emina
Portraits by Inez & Vinoodh
Styling by Paul Sinclaire

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Issue nº 29, Spring and Summer 2024

Comic genius Julia Louis-Dreyfus stood up to the boys and won all the awards. Who’s laughing now?

One day in the Bahamas, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was swimming in open water when her husband, who was back on the boat, shouted something along the lines of “Don’t panic, but there’s a shark in the water. You need to come back.” It was the late 1980s, and they’d tagged along on a scientific expedition to study the local dolphins. The calm azure waters had been a dreamy setting for such an activity, but not any more. A shark can swim at up to 25 miles per hour, a human being no more than six. Julia turned to face the boat and began to kick.

 

‘The juiciest stuff is what’s in all our minds’ … Iliza Shlesinger. Photograph: Avalon/Iliza Shlesinger

Iliza Shlesinger: ‘I’m thinking what many women are thinking – but saying it out loud’

The American comic on performing to a stripper party, the best heckle she’s had and why honest emotions are funny

Interview by Liam Pape
Monday 20 November 2023

How did you get into comedy?
I was always into watching funny shows – what was on TV that I could sneakily watch after my mom went to bed. I would put on Comedy Central or MTV, Monty Python reruns, Kids in The Hall, The State, In Living Color, Absolutely Fabulous and, of course, SNL. I would write and film my own sketches and I joined a sketch troupe in college. From there I got the crazy idea that I could just speak, sans ensemble, alone on a stage. So I started doing standup. The rest is a blurry history.