The actor wants you to start listening to older women — and not just because they’re guests on her podcast.
When Julia Louis-Dreyfus hit her 60s, she was struck by a realization: She wanted to hear from the old ladies.
The star of “Seinfeld” and “Veep,” who has nearly a dozen Emmys, was in the “second act” of her life. But she was contemplating her third. She said she craved the sort of wisdom that only comes from age. Yes, she received advice from her mother, but where was everyone else?
“We’re certainly not in the habit of listening to old women who have had life experience,” Louis-Dreyfus, now 63, remembers thinking at the time. “I mean, I would posit that our culture is much more inclined to listen to the wisdom of old men, specifically old white men.”
Her podcast, “Wiser Than Me,” premiered last April and was named Apple Podcasts’ show of the year for 2023. On it, Louis-Dreyfus and well-known women, including authors, actresses, musicians and activists, discuss the joys and the sorrows of aging.
The first season featured guests like Carol Burnett (90), Isabel Allende (81) and Darlene Love (82). The second, which began on March 27, includes Julie Andrews (88), Patti Smith (77) and Ina Garten (76).
Louis-Dreyfus, who has been married for 36 years and has two adult children, is a sure-handed interviewer. Her questions are direct. She asked Allende on an episode last year: “Do you feel sexy?”