One Curb Your Enthusiasm Actor Loathed Larry David At First
It's not a huge surprise to hear that there are people out there who don't like Larry David. After all, the guy's built a whole persona for himself as a grouchy old man, someone who goes back and forth between annoyance at social conventions and a fierce defender of the ones he agrees with. TV Larry will refuse to give his condolences to a woman who lost her father two years ago because he believed the "sorry window" had already closed, but he will yell at you if you park your car outside the lines. Larry is a complicated man with a strong yet questionable moral code, and that's not everyone's cup of tea.
Such was originally the case for Richard Lewis, the actor, writer and comedian who's starred in every season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" so far. Talking to The Spectator in early 2023, he revealed that he first met Larry at summer camp when they were 12. "I disliked him intensely," he explained. "He was cocky, he was arrogant. When we played baseball, I tried to hit him with the ball: we were arch-rivals. I couldn't wait for the camp to be over just to get away from Larry. I'm sure he felt the same way."
They would, of course, grow to become lifelong friends, but that over-the-top antagonism has never quite left them, on or off the show. "He knows the buttons I have emotionally,' he said. "When he teases me on his show it's exactly what he'll do in real life."
Forever squabbling over minor concerns
One example he gives of Larry angering him, which we've seen variations of on "Curb" dozens of times by now, is the eternal debate of who picks up a check at a restaurant. "It's no secret he's made a tremendous amount of money, which is great for him, but knowing that I've always felt that if we go to a restaurant I don't like Larry to pick up the cheque," Lewis said. "I can't bear it, and I would say, 'Oh, Mr Big Shot, I can pay, I've had a decent career, you don't have to pick up my cheque.'"
Lewis also talked about how Larry will rarely get earnest about their relationship, another aspect reflected constantly on the show. TV Richard Lewis is constantly waxing poetic about the beauty of life and their enduring friendship, only for Larry to callously brush it off. As for Larry himself? He's also been open about how strong his friendship with Lewis is, even if he'll never express it in any way that seems too sappy. Speaking during a Jimmy Kimmel interview after a season 11 clip of Larry jokingly asking Lewis when he would die, Larry explained, "He's the only person in the world I could say that line to. [...] Our friendship is so strong and it goes back so far. He's one of those guys I could say anything I want to him and vice versa."
Sure enough, Lewis is one of those select few characters on "Curb" to maintain a prominent recurring role on the show for 24 years now, and he'll be back in season 12 as well. His character probably won't be getting along much with Larry this time around either, but for both of them, that's part of the fun.