Love him or hate him, Larry David is a genius. A polarizing genius, of that there is no doubt. But a brilliant comedic mind nonetheless.
It’s hard to believe that this month will mark the 20th anniversary of Curb Your Enthusiasm . What better way to celebrate than with these 10+ behind-the-scenes secrets that fans didn’t know!
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1. No, Larry isn’t like that in real life.
According to Larry David, the TV version that we see is a highly satirized overblown version of himself.
He admits that were he to act that way in real life, all the time, he’d either be charged or assaulted.
2. There are no scripts.
According to Susie Essman, the only thing given to the actors is a very rough scene layout. All of the dialogue that takes place throughout is completely ad-libbed.
She also says that Larry is the worst at staying in character.
3. *Curb Your Enthusiasm* was originally going to be a one-hour long mockumentary.
That quickly changed once HBO got their hands on it. Right away, they knew they had a hit.
Immediately after, they ordered a 10-episode season.
4. J.B. Smoove wasn’t in town to audition.
An old friend of J.B.’s had passed away and he was in town to attend the funeral.
His agent reached out to him and informed him that he’d managed to maneuver an audition for J.B.!
5. The show helped saved a man’s life.
Back in 2003, a man by the name of Juan Catalan was charged with murder.
He insisted the police had the wrong man, as he was attending an LA Dodgers game at the time of the crime.
Larry David also happened to be shooting an episode of *Curb Your Enthusiasm* that day, which captured raw footage of Catalan in the crowd.
As a result, Catalan was exonerated and all charges were dropped .
He filed charges against the city and in 2007 he was awarded over $300,000 in damages.
6. Larry David got the idea for the show’s theme song after he heard it in a bank commercial.
What initially drew Larry to the tune was that there was an almost circus-like quality to the melody.
It sounded fun and he felt that it perfectly captured the zany atmosphere of the show.
7. Stop asking Susie Essman to swear at you.
Fans of the show around the world will come up to Susie Essman on the street, demanding she curse at them.
When Susie was asked the most inappropriate place she’d ever been propositioned, her response was her mother-in-law’s wake .
8. Jeff Garlin gave his permission to have his weight constantly mocked.
Susie Essman was hesitant about attacking Jeff on such a personal level. Once she was assured that he was in on the joke, Susie famously called him a “fat [expletive].”
After that, there was no going back.
9. Ted Danson’s reason for appearing in the show is pretty funny.
According to Ted, the pitch for Curb Your Enthusiasm didn’t go as Larry had planned. The way he remembers, it actually ended up putting a few people to sleep !
Ted felt so sorry for Larry that he agreed to appear in the series solely out of guilt.
10. The show’s title has a double meaning.
Originally, Larry David came up with the title Curb Your Enthusiasm as a way to immediately mediate any comparisons to Seinfeld .
“Curb your enthusiasm” is has also become a life motto for Larry.
11. Cheryl Hines didn’t think she was right for the part.
Cheryl’s agent agreed. Which is probably what gave her so much confidence when the time came for her to actually audition.
She wasn’t nervous because in her mind she had absolutely nothing to lose.
12. Jeff Garlin isn’t a fan of Jeff Greene.
During a cast Q&A, Jeff didn’t hold back on his true feelings for his character. He called him an idiot, with almost no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Jeff openly admits he holds no respect for the character at all.
13. Larry David and Richard Lewis were childhood friends.
Perhaps ‘frienemies’ is a better term to use? The pair met when they were away at summer camp and instantly despised one another.
They even used to get into fistfights from time to time.
14. Cheryl David isn’t based on Larry’s ex-wife, Laurie.
During an interview with Rolling Stone , Cheryl was asked how well she knew Laurie David. Her reply was that the pair had never even met.
She didn’t want to confuse aspects of the character and chose to keep the two women separate.
