Julia Louis-Dreyfus Steps Into Dramatic Territory in "Tuesday"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is widely known for her quick wit, dry humor, and iconic roles in shows like Seinfeld and Veep. Whether she’s delivering punchlines or playing a character with a sharp sense of humor, comedy has always been her wheelhouse. But this year, at the age of 63, Dreyfus ventured into a very different kind of role in the film Tuesday. This fantasy drama, directed by Daina Oniunas-Pusić, allowed Dreyfus to explore a more serious, emotional side of her acting.

In Tuesday, Dreyfus takes on the role of Zora, a mother dealing with the heartbreaking reality of her 15-year-old daughter, Tuesday, who is terminally ill. As the film progresses, Zora’s world becomes more surreal and fantastical. Death itself, in the form of a macaw, comes to claim her daughter’s life. The mother, desperate to keep her daughter alive, does everything in her power to fight Death—even to the point of attempting to eat it. The plot is strange and magical, but it’s also deeply emotional, exploring themes of love, loss, and the fight to hold on to what we love.

Given her background in comedy, you might wonder why a director would choose Dreyfus for such a dramatic, somber role. But for the actress, the shift in tone was exactly what drew her to the project. "I did think, Why me? But I’m really grateful it was me," she says. "It was an opportunity to do something completely outside my comfort zone." The mix of serious themes with moments of humor within the story appealed to her, especially the symbolic aspect of her character fighting against Death itself.

"I love the symbolism of that," Dreyfus explains, speaking about her character’s extreme measures to save her daughter. "The mother that I play would do anything to keep Death away." It’s an act of love and defiance, and for Dreyfus, it made the role even more compelling.

Of course, taking on such a dramatic role wasn’t easy. "The tone was a challenge," she admits. “I certainly made a lot of jokes between takes,” but when it came time to shoot, Dreyfus had to put herself in a different emotional space. “There’s an emotional investment that has to be in place,” she says. To make the scenes feel authentic, Dreyfus tapped into her own experiences of loss. “In my own life, I’ve had people very close to me die,” she reflects. That real-world experience helped her bring sincerity to her performance, especially when she had to engage with the fantastical Bird of Death, a character who was brought to life through a mix of physical performance and animation.

Dreyfus’s scenes with the bird were unique to say the least. "The Bird of Death is played by Arinzé Kene. He is magnificent," she says, praising her scene partner. Kene’s physical performance was key to bringing the bird to life, though much of the bird’s form was later animated. But for Dreyfus, the Bird of Death wasn’t just an animated animal. "I didn’t think of the bird as a bird," she says. "I thought of it as a being." In those intense moments on screen, she wasn’t acting opposite a bird—she was negotiating with a powerful force she needed to defeat.

Although the role of Zora is a departure from the comedic roles that Dreyfus is best known for, it’s not the first time she’s worked with dramatic elements. "I would argue that the films that I've made with Nicole Holofcener have melancholy," she says, pointing to the bittersweet tones of her previous projects. Still, Tuesday marks a bold move into a deeper emotional landscape, something Dreyfus hadn’t explored much in her career up to that point.

When she first began acting, comedy wasn’t necessarily her main focus. "I auditioned for everything," she recalls. While she gained recognition early on for her time on Saturday Night Live, Dreyfus’s roots in comedy go back to her improv days at Chicago’s famous Second City and Practical Theatre Co. “I sort of fell into the comedy stuff,” she says, and from there, it became a major part of her career.

Growing up, Dreyfus was always drawn to humor. "Probably. Yeah," she says when asked if she was always the funny one. Even as a child, she was likely the person who made others laugh. And she’s still the same way today, especially when it comes to games like charades and Celebrity. “Very. I love to play charades,” she says, making it clear that her love for playful competition hasn’t waned.

Her childhood cinematic crushes also leaned heavily toward humor. As a young girl, she admired performers like Barbra Streisand and Julie Andrews. But as she grew older, she found herself fascinated by actors who could make her laugh—Robert De Niro, for example, and Gene Wilder. “Anyone funny,” she says fondly, showing that her love of comedy actors has always been a constant.

Despite her long career and immense success, Dreyfus still gets starstruck. "The first time I saw Meryl Streep at one of those crazy Hollywood parties, I was just goo-goo-gaga," she admits. The actress's down-to-earth nature and her ability to remain in awe of other talents make her relatable, even in the world of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

In Tuesday, Dreyfus may have stepped outside her usual role as the comedic leading lady, but she’s proven that she can shine in any genre. Her transition from comedy to drama shows her versatility as an actor, and her performance in this unique, emotional story is proof that even the most iconic comedic actors can master the art of drama.