A Terse Interview With Larry David

The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator on working with Woody Allen, happiness and pretzels.

I read that the “Seinfeld” cast will be reuniting for the next season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” This isn’t just some cheap cash-in, is it?

No, it’s not. [laughs] For ratings? I would never do that. I got this idea that I thought would be really good for them, and they were game to do it. So we did it.

You told Woody you had a tiny range as an actor. What do you see as your limitations?

[laughs] I don’t know anymore after I’ve done this. Perhaps I have a wider range than I’d given myself credit for.

Why were you dissatisfied with your experience writing and directing 1998′s “Sour Grapes”?

I don’t know, I don’t think I did a very good job on it. It didn’t really look that good, and I probably could’ve done a better job.

I thought it was kind of funny.

Yeah? Good. Alright, I’ll change my mind. Finally, somebody likes it! Hey, that could turn me around! I actually thought it was pretty funny, but I thought I could do a better job. That’s all. The whole thing could’ve had a better look to it. It was pretty flat.

Would you like to direct another feature?

Mmm, no. Not really.

What does excite you, career-wise?

Good, funny ideas excite me.

That’s it? You just know them when you see them?

Yeah.

Now that you’ve worked with Woody Allen three times, what could you say about him that most people might not know?

I wouldn’t dare venture into that territory. I don’t really know that much more than anyone else, really. And if I did, I wouldn’t discuss this anyway.

You’re killing me here. What’s the worst question you’ve ever been asked in an interview?

Oh god, I don’t know. Oh! I remember doing press when “Curb Your Enthusiasm” came out, and somebody from one of the shows kept asking me questions about Jerry [Seinfeld]. It was fine, I answered them. They asked me another question about Jerry, and then some question like, “What do you think Jerry is going to do now?” [laughs] Then I called it off.

I enjoy that in every interview with you, including ours, you always give such terse answers. Do you dislike doing press?

I think it’s probably because I’m not comfortable with the whole thing. I don’t feel like what I have to say is so newsworthy. I don’t really like reading about anything that I’m saying. I suppose that’s it. I don’t know why. I just don’t have a need to elaborate on things, I guess.

Deep down, are you secretly a happy guy?

Deep down, I’m secretly unhappy. On the surface, I’m happy. So you got it backwards.

“Whatever Works” opens in New York and Los Angeles on June 19th.

Pages: 1 2