Rob Reiner bashes Trump as George Washington on Larry David HBO Show
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for Episode 2 of “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America,” now streaming on HBO Max.
A month before he died, Rob Reiner filmed his final role as George Washington in Larry David’s historical sketch comedy series “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness.”
His appearance on the HBO show was kept under wraps until the second episode aired on July 3. The skit allows Reiner, who has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, to get the “last laugh” against the sitting president, says director Jeff Schaffer. Variety. “It comes out on the 4th of July weekend, and if it somehow ruins an octogenarian’s sad weekend, then so be it!”
As Washington, Reiner gives a speech declaring that he will not seek a third term, adding that Congress could pass a constitutional amendment to ban future presidents from remaining in power.
“Well, what if there’s an asshole in the government, a narcissistic asshole who doesn’t follow the Constitution?” asks Larry David, dressed in 18th century colonial garb. And the sketch turns into a long bashing session of you-know-what.
Reiner’s Washington emphasizes the importance of a peaceful transfer of power, and Larry says that any hypothetical future president who can’t admit he lost an election is a “sociopath” and an “insecure, lying bastard who would even cheat at golf.”
“He could use the presidency to enrich himself and his family. He could send troops into American cities to terrorize and even kill American citizens, all to distract from the fact that he is friends with a pedophile!” says Larry.
Jimmy Kimmel also makes a cameo as a fellow American, arguing, “Are you suggesting the president would take the time to challenge anyone who dares make fun of him? Like he’s a big baby?”
Eventually, the colonists erupted into shouting matches and physical fights at the mere thought of such a person ever leading the country. The sketch ends with a shot of POTUS Reiner observing the madness. “We’re screwed,” he says, and then the episode ends with an “In Memoriam” card honoring the late actor and filmmaker.
Schaffer, who co-created “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” and directed all seven episodes, says Variety it was a surreal experience directing Reiner because “he’s on the Mount Rushmore among directors.” He and David knew from the start that they wanted Reiner to play America’s first president, but David had one condition: “You must shave your beard.”
“Rob said, ‘Seriously?’ and Larry insisted, ‘George Washington was clean shaven,’” Schaffer recalls. “Rob was never without a beard, but he really wanted to do the sketch, so he shaved.”
They shot the sketch on the Universal lot on November 13, about a month before Reiner was murdered in his home with his wife Michele. (Their son, Nick Reiner, was arrested and charged in the murders.) Schaffer says he and David were editing the sketch just two days before Reiner’s death. “It’s so incredibly sad,” he says.
The team kept the cameo a secret and even swapped it for another sketch at the Los Angeles premiere of “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” where HBO screened the first two episodes of the series.
“It just didn’t feel like the right way to show it to the world,” Schaffer says. “We thought long and hard about where the sketch should air… and ultimately we decided that July 3rd was the perfect time. Just release it on the 4th of July weekend, on the 250th, and let it sink in that way.”
