Julia Louis-Dreyfus Doesn’t Think ‘Veep’ Is A Parody

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays the president, Selina Meyer, on Veep, a show many consider a brilliant political satire. But Louis-Dreyfus and the series’ creator, director, writer and executive producer, Armando Iannucci, think otherwise.

Louis-Dreyfus was questioned about her show and its relationship to the 2016 election at the Time 100 Gala. When asked her what moment from the presidential race would make a funny scene, she responded, “Our show is not a parody… We create situations that are plausible. We don’t even identify parties on our show. What’s fun to me when I go out into the real world, and I meet politicians, they all think we’re making fun of the other guy.”

There are other parallels between the program and politics as well. Iannucci noted that sometimes, “we’ve come up with the most ridiculous story… and we do it, and then we get a call from Washington where they’ll ask, ‘How did you find that out?’”

He also observed that “it’s been gratifying to hear people who are watching it say it’s accurate – frightening – but gratifying.”