‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ EP Talks Outrageous Outtakes and the Bruce Springsteen Adlib That Echoes at His Concerts

As a longtime admirer of Larry David and his exceptional sitcom creations, I must say that the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for fans like myself. The way they managed to pay homage to the iconic “Seinfeld” finale while still maintaining the unique charm and wit of “Curb” is truly commendable.


As a passionate film enthusiast, I can’t help but express my sentiments about “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Although it might seem to have vanished from our screens for now, the indelible mark left by this series and its extraordinary creator and lead actor, Larry David, is far from fading. It’s only a matter of time before we find ourselves reminiscing about those hilarious episodes that made us both cringe and laugh out loud.

According to Jeff Schaffer, executive producer and director of the completed comedy series, Larry is still irritated by people and humorously remarks that he’s not done being so. As Schaffer puts it, on a recent occasion, Larry said something like, “What are we going to do with all these ideas? We’ve got a job to do as long as we can’t walk out of our house without being annoyed by our fellow humans.”

The pair, who collaborated on projects dating back to their work together during the “Seinfeld” era (with Schaffer penning multiple seasons and acting as executive producer in its ninth), now share adjacent offices and continue to brainstorm together regularly.

He enters, voices his grievances, and so do I – this is much like the plot of most “Curb” episodes, as Schaffer explains to EbMaster. “Even though the show may be gone,” he jokes, “Larry hasn’t abandoned me. I’m still getting a fantastic, meaningful dose.”

The exchange of thoughts persists among them due to the ongoing occurrences, as Schaffer phrases it, “we’re still experiencing events.”

He remarks that the appalling actions of people on the western side of Los Angeles serve as stark evidence, a place where “Curb” is based. In other words, he has long maintained that chronicling the poor behavior on this side of LA is an enduring venture, and indeed it is. As for where we’ll continue this work, that remains to be seen, but for now, we’re simply gathering names.

Larry David, both the fictional character and the real-life individual, is renowned for voicing thoughts that many others might only privately consider. He’s known for speaking without a filter, explaining why he often puts his foot in his mouth.

In my perspective, Larry’s words resonated profoundly with those who might otherwise go unheard. This was the very essence of every single episode in “Curb,” resulting in a plethora of side-splitting improvisations and a treasure trove of untapped footage in the editing suite.

In the opening scene of Season 12, I found myself at odds with my car’s virtual assistant, Siri, over misinterpreted navigation instructions. It was a tense exchange that echoed an actual incident I experienced, creatively woven into the narrative of the series.

“Larry encountered trouble reaching a restaurant and had a disagreement with Siri; Siri seemed uncooperative,” Schaffer reminisces. “The following day on set, Larry voiced his frustration about this. I thought, ‘We need to film that scene right away.'”

A few days have passed since Larry glanced over the sketch. “He recognizes the situation because he’s experienced it,” Schaffer clarifies, “so he’ll perform it.” However, as the dialogue is spontaneous, “he doesn’t know exactly what Siri will say.”

As Larry chats with Siri in his car, Schaffer stands near a screen with a walkie-talkie, chuckling and saying, “I’m actually Siri here,” before intentionally making it extremely difficult for him to find the desired restaurant. It was quite clever.

The show would be produced this way: “Just as Larry lives his unpredictable life, the filming mirrors that. It’s a constant battle for Larry – he doesn’t know what the other actors will deliver next. He thrives on being perplexed and caught off guard by the unfolding events, as each day brings new twists,” the director describes. “It’s a never-ending struggle between Larry and the world, and I control the army of the world to challenge Larry.”

‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ EP Talks Outrageous Outtakes and the Bruce Springsteen Adlib That Echoes at His Concerts

In numerous instances during their talks, when David chuckled, it was actually David (the actor) breaking his on-screen persona and laughing at something J.B. Smoove said. As it turns out, Larry (the character) didn’t know what J.B. was about to say until the first take. J.B. consistently approached the scenes with a particular plan: to upset Larry. The laughter you see in the scenes is genuinely Larry laughing. They’ve edited out the ones that weren’t suitable for the scene.

In a series starring numerous comedians skilled in improvisation, it’s not only Smoove who delivers witty lines. Recently, Sienna Miller appeared as a fictionalized version of herself studying Judaism, and David unexpectedly improvised a scathing critique of a rabbi during their scenes. Schaffer mentioned that David’s extensive rant had to be removed because it wasn’t essential for the scene’s flow.

Larry’s conversation with the rabbi could be rephrased as follows: “Larry expressed his thoughts to the rabbi something like this: ‘Why are you requiring Sienna Miller to study? Just let her join without! Don’t you think if Natalie Portman attended church, they wouldn’t make her study either?… This is why we’re never at the top. We’re always in last place. Give me control of the team! I can turn this into winners. In a week, I could have Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie reciting the haftarah!'”

Among the most remarkable and surprising improvised lines, undeniably, belongs to Bruce Springsteen, popularly known as The Boss. In an unexpected twist in the second-to-last episode, Larry manages to make someone famous quite ill. It was rumored that Springsteen was a fan of the series, but it seemed implausible that he would actually appear on screen. Regardless, they contacted his management, and surprisingly, he agreed. The scene unfolds with Springsteen’s fictional representative disclosing that, despite being a man now, he was once a woman. This revelation leads to a conversation between him and Larry, where they discuss an intimate encounter they had on the floor.

‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ EP Talks Outrageous Outtakes and the Bruce Springsteen Adlib That Echoes at His Concerts

“Upon arriving on set, [Bruce] exclaims, ‘Larry, I wouldn’t have guessed you for a stage-dive enthusiast!’ I can’t help but feel overjoyed in this moment,” Schaffer says with a smile. “His humor earns him the delightful surprise of having fans at his concerts holding signs that read, ‘Me too, I’m a stage-diver!’ This has become quite common now.”

Ultimately, the last episode of the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” delivered on expectations for long-time viewers and provided a resolution that “Seinfeld” fans had been waiting for since the entire cast was imprisoned – a resolution that “Seinfeld” didn’t provide.

In the final episode of “Curb,” the ending scene resembled that of “Seinfeld.” However, instead of revealing an actual verdict, David learns from Seinfeld that the trial ended in a mistrial due to a jury sequestration violation. As a result, David was released, and they both casually walked out of jail as if it were an ordinary day.

“Schaffer explains that they aimed for viewers to exclaim, ‘Wow, they’re recreating the “Seinfeld” finale in every detail, even the jail scene and references from Larry’s initial episode on “Curb”. Just like Seinfeld with its famous ‘button’, Jerry unexpectedly makes an appearance and solves the situation.” He continues, “When we end it, we abruptly stop them mid-argument, just as we found them. Regardless of whether the audience is still watching, they’ll continue to bicker forever.”

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2024-08-14 22:47