Movies - TV
Why Richard Lewis’ Curb Your Enthusiasm Character Used His Real-Life Name
By MICHAEL BOYLE
Larry David has often remarked that playing himself on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" gives him a strange kind of freedom. He can do all the petty things he wants without any consequences.
For Richard Lewis, who tragically passed away at 76 due to a fatal heart attack, playing "himself" had a different feeling to it. He explained in a recent Vanity Fair interview.
"I don't really see a difference with me on screen, except for an occasional time when I might be a little harsher than I might be in general," Lewis said.
Lewis said Davis asked him to play the role of himself as it would simply be too weird to act alongside a version of him and pretend it isn't his lifelong friend.
"It's spectacularly unique to be able to be in a scene where other actors are not themselves and I'm myself," Lewis continued. "It's a strange feeling."