“Nervous” Sarah Sutherland’s Unexpected Move During Veep Audition Even Made Julia Louis-Dreyfus Break Character

Popularly known for her work as Catherine Meyer in HBO’s political satire comedy series, Veep, actress Sarah Sutherland impressed the audience and the critics. The show starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, a fictional Vice President of the United States. Sutherland’s work earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for the sixth season.

The show upon release received critical acclaim, and Louis-Dreyfus’ performance won her six consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards. It drew a lot of attention till the end due to the plot lines resembling real-world progress. The two actresses share a good bond after working on the show from 2012 to 2019. Sutherland recalled her audition for the show and how they were asked to improvise.

Sarah Sutherland recalls improvising insults to Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Veep

Actress Sarah Sutherland appeared on the BUILD interview, where she mentioned that once she went in to read for Allison Jones and got a call back for a part. She was told that she had a chemistry read with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the creator of the show Armando Lannucci was present in the room. The actress revealed that it was the only audition she has been late to, as she is chronically early.

Sutherland added during the interview,

I think there was something about that chaotic energy that I just didn’t have time to overthink because, you know, I had come from a theater background and I hadn’t done any conventional formal comedy training, so I was really out of my depth, and somehow something about the frenzy of the moment worked.

The actress went on to share that Louis-Dreyfus is not only a genius actress but she also makes everyone look good. She also added that having the chemistry read with her was very helpful. She noted that her character on paper was much more combative and was a lot more like Selina.

Sutherland recalled that the creator took away her script and asked her to improvise with adding to find ways to insult Selina. She said,

I was so nervous because I was like, Oh my god, I don’t want to say something insulting to this woman who I admire so much, but I remember making a particularly vicious joke I can’t share, but it made Julia break and laugh.

Sutherland added that she left the audition thinking that even if she didn’t get it, the experience she had was worthwhile. The actress does not have a comic background yet she was able to make a vicious improvised joke during the audition and break Louis-Dreyfus’ character is commendable and funny. She not only got the part, but was highly lauded for her performance throughout.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus reveals the one thing that can get her to say ‘yes’ to projects

In an interview with Variety, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was asked about the one thing she looks at when she reads her probable projects before saying yes or no. The actress shared that it’s a gut reaction, adding that it’s an instinct that she has when she looks at the material. Louis-Dreyfus further elaborated,

I’m drawn to material that is not derivative, not a repeat of what I’ve done before. That I feel very strongly about. I’m looking for material that will challenge me and that I’m curious about. I’m looking for material that I can’t walk away from.

Later in the interview, she was asked if she is looking for a third career-defining role after portraying Elaine Benes on Seinfeld and Selina Meyer on Veep which went on to become significant characters on-screen. The actress, who will be seen as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Thunderbolts*, shared that she is just driven by the quality of the material she comes across.

The actress added that she has to love the character because doing a series is extremely gratifying and satisfying to work on a character over a long period. She once again clarified that for her, it’s always going to be the material that is going to help her decide. For her, it’s always about what’s on the page.

Veep is available to stream on HBO.