Could Julia Louis-Dreyfus Be the Funniest, Most Inspiring Breast Cancer Survivor of All Time?
Thousands of devoted fans are rooting for the "Veep" star's seventh Emmy win on Sunday -- an award that would honor her performance right after a difficult course of breast cancer treatment.
During the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ millions of fans will be holding their breath as they wait to learn if the 58-year-old “Veep” actress will win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy for her seventh consecutive year. If she wins, Louis-Dreyfus will break a record for most Emmys won for a single role — that of the iconic and relentless Selina Meyer on HBO’s series, “Veep.”
Louis-Dreyfus began playing Selina Meyer in the satirical comedy “Veep” in 2012. (Image source: Sioux City Journal).
A lot of people know and love Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, and a lot more know and love her as Elaine on “Seinfeld.” Others fondly recall her days as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” or maybe in the series, “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Each of her characters has made people laugh, often when they needed it most.
As the arts editor of the Michigan Daily put it in her recent “Ode to Julia Louis-Dreyfus,” “It’s a standard line to say that women can’t be funny […] Women can be pretty, helpful, maybe even smart if you don’t listen too closely. But one thing they can never be? Funny. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been shattering this sexist misconception since 1989 […] Elaine and Selina aren’t just funny women, they are women who are funny in the exact way women shouldn’t be: Improper, immoral, foulmouthed and graceless.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Instagrammed a selfie sharing how happy she was to be back on set filming “Veep” after her cancer treatment. (Credit: Julia Louis-Dreyfus/ Instagram).
Of all the foul-mouthed and graceless roles she’s played in her career — and all the laughs she’s gotten for them — perhaps the most award-worthy “version” of Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been that of herself — a stage II breast cancer survivor.
A lot of people know about Louis-Dreyfus’ cancer journey; she did, after all, announce her diagnosis to the world over Twitter, and she kept her fans updated on her social media accounts as she went through treatment. But what a lot of people find surprising — and completely inspiring — is that the Emmy award she is up for this Sunday is for a season of “Veep” she filmed directly after going through six rounds of chemotherapy and her double mastectomy.
The actress and comedian has since opened up about how returning to work filming “Veep” kept her motivated and focused throughout her difficult treatment — and gave her something to look forward to.
The attitude that Louis-Dreyfus maintained throughout her cancer journey has inspired so many, including fans of hers who are going through difficult cancer journeys themselves. She recently retweeted, for instance, a letter from a 17-year-old fan named Rosa-Gallica who shared that she, too was going through a tough course of treatment for her melanoma, and when she learned her favorite actress, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, had been diagnosed with cancer as well, she immediately felt less alone.
A 17-year-old cancer survivor wrote a letter to Julia Louis-Dreyfus (right) sharing that “Veep” helped her survive. (Image source: Rosa-Gallica/ Twitter).
“We did not have the same cancer at all,” Rosa-Gallica wrote in her letter. “But still. I wasn’t the only one in pain. I felt understood, even though I knew you had no idea what I was going through.”
The young fan explained in her letter to Louis-Dreyfus that “Veep” made her laugh even during the most difficult moments of her cancer journey.
Rosa-Gallica said learning about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ diagnosis made her feel less alone with her own cancer. (Image source: Twitter/ @RG_ASchiavone)
Now, as we head into the Emmys on Sunday with thousands like Rosa-Gallica rooting for Louis-Dreyfus, it’s important to realize that this win and broken record would be impressive and monumental, even if the actress hadn’t gone through what she did. But the fact that she survived cancer with her chin held high — and stood as a role model for so many others — makes the potential win all the more special.
During the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ millions of fans will be holding their breath as they wait to learn if the 58-year-old “Veep” actress will win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy for her seventh consecutive year. If she wins, Louis-Dreyfus will break a record for most Emmys won for a single role — that of the iconic and relentless Selina Meyer on HBO’s series, “Veep.”
Louis-Dreyfus began playing Selina Meyer in the satirical comedy “Veep” in 2012. (Image source: Sioux City Journal).
A lot of people know and love Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, and a lot more know and love her as Elaine on “Seinfeld.” Others fondly recall her days as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” or maybe in the series, “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Each of her characters has made people laugh, often when they needed it most.
As the arts editor of the Michigan Daily put it in her recent “Ode to Julia Louis-Dreyfus,” “It’s a standard line to say that women can’t be funny […] Women can be pretty, helpful, maybe even smart if you don’t listen too closely. But one thing they can never be? Funny. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been shattering this sexist misconception since 1989 […] Elaine and Selina aren’t just funny women, they are women who are funny in the exact way women shouldn’t be: Improper, immoral, foulmouthed and graceless.”Julia Louis-Dreyfus Instagrammed a selfie sharing how happy she was to be back on set filming “Veep” after her cancer treatment. (Credit: Julia Louis-Dreyfus/ Instagram).
Of all the foul-mouthed and graceless roles she’s played in her career — and all the laughs she’s gotten for them — perhaps the most award-worthy “version” of Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been that of herself — a stage II breast cancer survivor.
A lot of people know about Louis-Dreyfus’ cancer journey; she did, after all, announce her diagnosis to the world over Twitter, and she kept her fans updated on her social media accounts as she went through treatment. But what a lot of people find surprising — and completely inspiring — is that the Emmy award she is up for this Sunday is for a season of “Veep” she filmed directly after going through six rounds of chemotherapy and her double mastectomy.
The actress and comedian has since opened up about how returning to work filming “Veep” kept her motivated and focused throughout her difficult treatment — and gave her something to look forward to.
The attitude that Louis-Dreyfus maintained throughout her cancer journey has inspired so many, including fans of hers who are going through difficult cancer journeys themselves. She recently retweeted, for instance, a letter from a 17-year-old fan named Rosa-Gallica who shared that she, too was going through a tough course of treatment for her melanoma, and when she learned her favorite actress, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, had been diagnosed with cancer as well, she immediately felt less alone.
A 17-year-old cancer survivor wrote a letter to Julia Louis-Dreyfus (right) sharing that “Veep” helped her survive. (Image source: Rosa-Gallica/ Twitter).
“We did not have the same cancer at all,” Rosa-Gallica wrote in her letter. “But still. I wasn’t the only one in pain. I felt understood, even though I knew you had no idea what I was going through.”
The young fan explained in her letter to Louis-Dreyfus that “Veep” made her laugh even during the most difficult moments of her cancer journey.
Rosa-Gallica said learning about Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ diagnosis made her feel less alone with her own cancer. (Image source: Twitter/ @RG_ASchiavone)
Now, as we head into the Emmys on Sunday with thousands like Rosa-Gallica rooting for Louis-Dreyfus, it’s important to realize that this win and broken record would be impressive and monumental, even if the actress hadn’t gone through what she did. But the fact that she survived cancer with her chin held high — and stood as a role model for so many others — makes the potential win all the more special.
