At Larry David's Los Angeles office, there are posters, pictures, and the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence – sort of.Among its clauses: "It is illegal to ask to share an umbrella."What's wrong with that? "Because the person who has the umbrella is getting wet, 'cause you're squeezing in," he explained.
"Bring your own umbrella!"And what if it's a loved one? "Ehhhh, no."Also missing from the actual Declaration's list of grievances: "It is illegal to stroke one's beard." "I can't stand seeing men doing this," said David."What if you're Dr.
Freud?" I asked."Hmm, yeah, I don't know," he replied.
Asked if he's upset these weren't in the Founding Fathers' original document, David said, "I think there should've been some humor in that Declaration.There should be jokes in everything.
Are you kidding?" That includes American History.So, leave it to a creator of "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to give us "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness," the limited seven-episode sketch comedy series that premiered this past Friday on HBO and HBO Max.
It's a history, he says, that is completely skewed – like the Founding Father who wanted the Declaration to read, "No sharing of dessert." ("Get your own damn piece of pie, Franklin!") David also plays a World War I soldier pretending to be dead ("If I was in that war, knowing who I am, I would run and pretend I got shot"), and a man sitting next to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.("I know that she refused to go to the back of the bus.
But what if she was sitting next to me? She'd want to go to the back of the bus!") I'm even in the show, playing suffragist Susan B.Anthony.
"I just thought it would be funny if I could play a really sexist character," said David."As soon as I heard the name Susan – oh, Susie's gotta be Susan B.
Anthony.So, I thought it would be a funny dynamic and, you know, we just go at it."I did do a lot of research on Susan B.
Anthony, including watching a ...