Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
They bonded over breakfast.
Kari Lizer was looking for a fearless and funny actress to take on the formidable lead role in a pilot with the curious title "The New Adventures of Old Christine" that she had set up at CBS and Warner Bros. Television. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was looking for a TV show to star in, "Seinfeld" curse be damned.
During their first meeting last year at a Santa Monica eatery, writer-producer Lizer and Louis-Dreyfus realized they were very much alike, walking the same tightrope of trying to be an engaged mother while making a living in a demanding business.
Lizer knew the star of "Old Christine" who takes on the senior designation after her ex-husband begins dating a younger woman with the same name would have to be an actress who could be beaten down at times but still never come across as "pathetic." The title was the first thing Lizer came up with as she honed her idea for a sitcom revolving around the awkwardness that divorced couples face when they're forced to spend significant time together at soccer games, pancake breakfasts, family gatherings, et al., for the sake of their children, as Lizer does with her ex-husband.
When Louis-Dreyfus' name was mentioned, Lizer was instantly intrigued, but she admits she couldn't stop thinking about the decidedly un-maternal character of Elaine Benes that Louis-Dreyfus played so well on "Seinfeld." Over breakfast, those concerns evaporated faster than the steam rising from their coffee.
"As a person, Julia is so much more Christine than she is Elaine," Lizer says. "She's a mom. Her kids are the center of her world. She's into all of the school (events), and she spends her afternoons at Gelson's. As an actress, she is just so powerful. It's great for the writers. We know Julia can sell anything."
Indeed, Louis-Dreyfus' range as a comedic actress has infused the Christine Campbell character with the kind of depth that impressed Emmy voters enough to give this year's lead comedy actress trophy to Louis-Dreyfus after the show's first mini-season (it was a midseason entry in March). She's adept at the hands-on-hips delivery of sassy one-liners à la Lucy Ricardo that ring true in the context of her wisecracking, world-weary character.
And now, in its first full season, it's clear the show is settling into a groove. Louis-Dreyfus is ably supported by Clark Gregg, who plays her ex, and Hamish Linklater, who plays her brother.
postCount('K02Vchristinewriter28TV5100003'); | postCountTB('K02Vchristinewriter28TV5100003');
To see more of InsideVC.com, or to subscribe, go to www.InsideVC.com.
� 2006 InsideVC.com. All Rights Reserved.
