Carol Burnett and Julia Louis-Dreyfus backstage at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.Photo:Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
Julia Louis-Dreyfuswas nothing short of gobsmacked whenCarol Burnettpaid her the ultimate compliment.
Burnett, 90, called theSeinfeldalum “one of the greatest comedic actresses of our time” during a Juneepisodeof theWiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfuspodcast, prompting Louis-Dreyfus to become audibly emotional.
“I practically fell over and passed out,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporterin an interview published Wednesday.
“I could barely take it. I started to cry. Honestly, when I introduced her, I started crying,” recalled Louis-Dreyfus, 63. “I cry all throughout the podcast. I’m weeping the whole time. I find these conversations to be very moving. And Carol Burnett has been impactful in my own life.”
On the episode of the Lemonada Media podcast, Louis-Dreyfus told Burnett: “What you have done with your life has informed my life more than I can articulate in this conversation. So thank you, Carol.”
“Now weWordleand we’ve become friends, and we have dinner occasionally, which is really nice, too,” theVeepEmmy winner shared.
And nearly a year after Burnett confirmed to PEOPLE that she plays World"every morning,“Louis-Dreyfus served as a hype woman, informingTHR: “Let me tell you, this woman is incredible at Wordle and all word games. She does Spelling Bee until she gets — not ‘Genius,’ but ‘Queen Bee.’ This woman does not f— around when it comes to word games.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus.Steve Granitz/WireImage
After their conversation on the podcast, Burnett told Louis-Dreyfus she was “so sweet” before paying her the ultimate compliment.
“You are just so … honest and funny and truthful, it all comes out of truth,” she said. “You know, you’re not trying too hard. You just are.”
Louis-Dreyfus replied, audibly emotional, “Thank you, that means totally everything coming from you.”
Carol Burnett at the premiere of ‘Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love’ at Avalon Hollywood.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
The actress’s mother then joined the episode, having listened to the conversation with Burnett in real time and reflected on the touching ending as her daughter admitted, “I couldn’t believe it.”
“Parents think their children — and they know — their children are the best. The best, the best. But when someone else agrees, it’s just like a magical moment. It was so wonderful.”
The first season of Louis-Dreyfus' podcast concluded with her interview with Burnett, but season 2 premieres March 27 with a conversation with Oscar-winnerSally Field.
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In honor of Burnett’s 90th birthday last year, Louis-Dreyfus was one of several Hollywood stars whospoke to PEOPLE about the actress’s lasting impacton the industry.
She shared, “Here are three things about comedy that Carol Burnett taught me: 1.) Comedy isn’t just funny, it’s fun. Seeing Carol Burnett with her friends (that’s what it seemed like: they were all friends) was infectious. I wanted to leap through the screen and be a part of that fun.”
She continued, “2.) Comedy is a team sport. The way they played off of each other, the way they enjoyed each other, the way Carol enjoyed watching all of them? I had never seen anything like that before. 3.) Comedy is hard. Singing! Dancing! Doing funny accents! Not cracking up (well, they weren’t so great at that part). Carol Burnett could do it all and, I realized, that takes practice. That takes work. I’ve taken all of that to heart, thanks to Carol Burnett. Fun, team and work. Wow, what a great way to make a living.”
source: people.com
