Julia Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t see eye to eye with her former co-star Jerry Seinfeld when it comes to political correctness and comedy.
The “Veep” actress pushed back on Seinfeld’s controversial view that political correctness is “something of a worry for people that can’t think” in a new interview with the New York Times.
“If you look back on comedy and drama both, let’s say 30 years ago, through the lens of today, you might find bits and pieces that don’t age well,” Louis-Dreyfus, 63, told the newspaper in an article published Monday.
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“And I think to have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing,” she continued. “It doesn’t mean that all comedy goes out the window as a result.”
Louis-Dreyfus said she understands why people “might push back” on political correctness.
“But to me, that’s a red flag because it sometimes means something else,” she furthered. “I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it.”
Days later, Louis-Dreyfus addressed the topic again after giving more thought to her initial response.
“I wanted to make sure that I answered this whole idea of political correctness correctly, and I can’t really remember what I said. So I wanted to go back to that and be very clear about where I stand,” she explained.
“My feeling about all of it is that political correctness, insofar as it equates to tolerance, is obviously fantastic. And of course I reserve the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me, while also respecting their right to free speech, right?”
Louis-Dreyfus said the “bigger problem” is the “consolidation of money and power.”
The sitcom actress believes the “siloing of studios and outlets” as well as “streamers and distributors” is a threat to the “creative voice.”
She added, “So that’s what I want to say in terms of the threat to art.”
However, the Emmy winner did say that she can’t determine if political correctness makes comedy better or worse.
“I just know that the lens through which we create art today — and I’m not going to just specify it to comedy, it’s also drama — it’s a different lens. It really is,” she shared.
“Even classically wonderful, indisputably great films from the past are riddled with attitudes that today would not be acceptable. So I think it’s just good to be vigilant.”
However, Louis-Dreyfus said the shift for more diversity in the arts is “very much for the good.”
Her comments about political correctness came after Seinfeld, 70, reflected on the practice in an exclusive interview with Page Six in May.
The “Unfrosted” star asserted that political correctness often leads people to make “stupid mistakes” that are “offensive.”
He offered advice on how to avoid any trouble, telling us, “Pick up a paper, find out what’s going on and just navigate around it.”
The stand-up comic also said he misses “dominant masculinity” in society during a May interview with the Free Press.
