Lori Loughlin was 'totally game' for self-deprecating “Curb Your Enthusiasm” appearance
Producer Jeff Schaffer revealed in a new interview how enthusiastic the actress was to parody herself in Larry David's sitcom.
For quite a while, Lori Loughlin's public reputation has been dogged due to her involvement in the infamous college admissions cheating scandal (nicknamed Operation Varsity Blues by the FBI). But on Sunday, the actress (mainly known for her role as Aunt Becky on Full House) made a self-deprecating appearance as herself on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In the latest episode, Larry David helps the blackballed Loughlin get accepted into his country club — only to find out that her reputation has merit, because she loves cheating at golf.
“This was an idea that we loved from a writer named Teddy Bressman. But it’s not going to be funny with some sort of thinly veiled surrogate. It only works if we get Lori,” producer Jeff Schaffer told The Hollywood Reporter. “So we called her manager up, who loved it, and who then talked to Lori, and she said: ‘I’m in, I’m totally game.’ And she was. She was so great. Everything we threw at her, she was game to do. She makes the episode. I’m so glad she wanted to do it.”
John Johnson/HBO
Larry David, Lori LoughlinHilariously, the episode contained clear echoes of Loughlin's real-life scandal. One of the ways that she, her husband Mossimo Giannulli, and other participants in Operation Varsity Blues tried to rig their kids' test scores was by fraudulently claiming that they had learning disabilities or other diagnosed conditions that required more time to take the exams (which is where the cheating came in).
In the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, David is astonished when Loughlin quickly acquires a special parking pass (in the form of a blue flag) that allows her to drive right up to the golfing green.
"Oh yeah, well, I have Epstein-Barr," Loughlin explains.
When David reacts in disbelief, she elaborates, "one hematologist thinks so."
She fits right in, since David's character on the show is a man who always gets new chances even after offending the people around him. In Schaffer's words, "Larry is an uncancellable Blarney Stone. Maybe by rubbing Larry, it works for everyone else.”
So maybe this episode will help Loughlin continue her career following her two-month prison sentence in 2020 for trying to inflate her daughter's college exam scores. She has already returned to the Hallmark Channel, but HBO is another level.
“It’s great to be able to laugh at yourself. It’s a great way to put the past behind you,” Schaffer said. “I hope it helps her career. She was great, and she should work. She was really funny and wonderful to work with. People should see, ‘Oh, she’s really funny. She’s great in this stuff.’ So yeah, I hope she does get to work because she deserves to.”
Read the full interview, which includes more details about the episode like the real-life inspiration for David memorizing the Gettysburg Address at a urinal, at THR.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
Lori Loughlin returns to acting after college admissions scandal with When Calls the Heart spinoff
Curb Your Enthusiasm to end with season 12: 'Your misanthropy will not be missed'
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
