Julia Louis-Dreyfus brands political correctness ‘push back’ a ‘red flag’
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has branded “push back” on political correctness a “red flag”.
The ‘Seinfeld’ actress, 63, who played Elaine Benes on the sitcom from 1990 to 1998, hit out at PC critics after her former co-star on the show Jerry Seinfeld, 70, said in a new interview it was “something of a worry for people that can’t think” – and added in a separate chat he misses the days of “dominant masculinity”.
Julia told the newspaper in an article published on Monday (10.06.24): “If you look back on comedy and drama both, let’s say 30 years ago, through the lens of today, you might find bits and pieces that don’t age well.
“And I think to have an antenna about sensitivities is not a bad thing.
“It doesn’t mean that all comedy goes out the window as a result.”
Julia – who has appeared in a famous so-called ‘woke’ sketch on Amy Schumer’s skit show in 2015 about ageing women no longer being “f***able” – admitted she understands why people “might push back” on political correctness.
However, she stressed: “But to me, that’s a red flag because it sometimes means something else.
“I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it.”
The Times piece said Julia called back 11 days after her initial chat with the publication to clarify her position on the issue.
She added to the paper: “I wanted to make sure that I answered this whole idea of political correctness correctly, and I can’t really remember what I said. So I wanted to go back to that and be very clear about where I stand.
“My feeling about all of it is that political correctness, insofar as it equates to tolerance, is obviously fantastic.
“And of course I reserve the right to boo anyone who says anything that offends me, while also respecting their right to free speech, right?”
Julia said the “bigger problem” in the world is the “consolidation of money and power”.
The actress believes the “siloing of studios and outlets” as well as “streamers and distributors” is a threat to the “creative voice”.
She added: “So that’s what I want to say in terms of the threat to art.”
The actress also said the shift towards more diversity in the arts is “very much for the good”.
