Larry David had no problem putting former President Barack Obama in his place during a meeting for their comedy series Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, according to the show’s director.
HBO’s new limited sketch comedy, created by and starring the acclaimed comedian, 76, was produced by the Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground.
The seven-episode series, which premiered Friday and retells American history using humor and satire, will also feature a cameo by the former president himself.
From the start, Obama, 64, was eager about the project, arriving at the first meeting having already “read a whole bunch of stuff” and “really liking it,” director and co-creator Jeff Schafer said in a new interview with Variety.
“The president’s input — and [Higher Ground’s] Ethan Lewis and Joe Paulsen’s — was invaluable,” he praised, noting that Obama attempted to give “a few notes about something” before Larry brushed him off, saying: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it.’”
“And the president goes, ‘I spent a half an hour talking about how funny everything is. I give you one note and you get into a defensive crouch.’ The president said, ‘When I was in the Oval Office, I took advice and listened to my advisors, and I was the president of the United States,’” Schafer recalled.
“And Larry just goes, ‘Yeah, but I’m the president of this.’”
The real-life sparring appears to have influenced a scene included in the show’s first trailer.
“I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of the globe’s most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David,” Obama said in the clip released last month.
“I’m just a producer on the show,” he added. “So I don’t have to deal with him day-to-day but still, it’s a lot.”
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Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness was first announced last July. Its release coincides with America’s 250th anniversary.
“It’s hard to remember a time before Curb, or without Larry David’s perspective on modern life,” HBO’s head of comedy programming Amy Gravitt said in a statement at the time. “We’re thrilled that Larry is coming back to HBO, this time with Higher Ground, to give us a glimpse at our shared history as we celebrate our Semiquincentennial.”
Higher Ground Productions was founded in 2018 by the Obamas. Previous projects they have been involved in include the 2023 films Rustin and Leave The World Behind and the documentaries Crip Camp (2020) and American Symphony (2023). The company also produced the Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof, starring Don Cheadle and Ayo Edebiri.
New episodes of Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness will be releasde Fridays on HBO Max, with the series finale out August 7.
