Julia Louis-Dreyfus felt she ‘had’ to share her cancer diagnosis after much delay
Julia Louis-Dreyfus revealed on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast that she felt “backed into a corner” when she went public with her breast cancer diagnosis in 2017. At the time, HBO’s “Veep” was preparing for its seventh and final season, but production was postponed while Louis-Dreyfus underwent chemotherapy.
On the December 9 episode of the Podcast ‘Good Hanging’Host Poehler praised Louis-Dreyfus for being open about her diagnosis and said the revelation was “very helpful for a lot of people.” But Louis-Dreyfus explained that going public wasn’t entirely her choice.
“I was kind of cornered on that one because we had to shut down our show,” the “Veep” star said. “It’s funny how that worked out because normally I wouldn’t have done that. I’m very private.”
Louis-Dreyfus played Selina Meyer on “Veep” from 2012 to 2019, earning six consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
According to Louis-Dreyfus, who was also an executive producer, production on the final season of the HBO series had to be halted “for a year” so she could undergo chemotherapy. “Two hundred and fifty people weren’t going to work,” she added, “so I had to make something public about it.”
Although she had reservations, Louis-Dreyfus said she was ultimately glad she shared her diagnosis because it allowed her to connect with others who were also battling cancer.
“The great thing about that was I had an incredible experience with people reaching out to me asking for advice about my experience with breast cancer,” she said. “And I was able to help and there was something incredibly comforting about the fact that I was able to do that on the other side of this trauma.”
Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2017. She announced the news on Twitter (now X), writing: “1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today I’m the one.”
“The good news is that I have a wonderful group of supportive and caring family and friends,” she added. “The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let’s fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality.”
Watch Louis-Dreyfus’ full interview on the ‘Good Hang’ podcast below.
