What To Know
- Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness star Judy Gold breaks down Episode 4’s Jonas Salk sketch.
- She discusses the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moment and highlights the hot-button topic of vaccines in America.
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness tackles vaccines in its latest episode as the HBO sketch comedy series from Larry David shines a light on the historical invention of the polio vaccine through Jonas Salk. Warning: Spoilers for Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness Season 1, Episode 4 ahead!
In this particular instance, the sketch revolves around a conversation between Jonas’s mother, Dora (Larry David), and her neighbor, Evelyn (Judy Gold), over the fence in their Queens, New York backyards in 1955. As the women chat about their children’s successes, Dora can’t help but brag about her scientist son, who is busy working on the upper level of their home and is frequently interrupted to answer questions over the course of the sketch.
But it isn’t necessarily the competitive discussion unfolding between Dora and Evelyn that steals the show, but rather the Salks’ neighbor, who is a clear stand-in for the current United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and they refer to as Bobby (played by Gregg Perrie). When psychiatric hospital workers arrive in the neighborhood, the Salks point them in Bobby’s direction when asked about a disturbance in the community.
John Johnson / HBO
Taking an anti-vax stance, Bobby’s voice sounds eerily similar to RFK Jr.’s, and mentions of brain worms and poached animals leave no room for doubt regarding the character’s inspiration. For viewers who may need reminding, David’s former Curb Your Enthusiasm costar Cheryl Hines is currently married to RFK Jr.
In other words, there are plenty of layers to unpack in this pointed sketch that satirizes the way vaccinations are perceived by the American public today. “I come from this family that totally believes in vaccines,” Gold tells TV Insider about her investment in playing a role in this particular sketch. “This issue, for me, is really, really important.”
“We’re never gonna get the opportunity to say ‘f**k you’ and, I know it was make-believe, but being able to scream at him, it was really satisfying in a way,” Gold says of Evelyn’s involvement in interacting with the character Bobby. “Humor and satire… yes, it’s a salve, but it’s also a very powerful weapon, and I think Larry used that weapon in the best way possible in this sketch,” she continues. “I am so lucky and thrilled to have been a part of it.”
Gold was excited to work with David, but was certainly thrown into the deep end of hilarity playing opposite Dora. “First of all, he’s in drag, and I remember he had a bit when he did stand-up, about Jonas Salk’s mother, so I knew this was a bit coming to life and how important it was to him. And I know he’s a history buff, so seeing him like that was hilarious,” Gold admits.
As for the inspiration behind her character Evelyn, Gold cites her mother and grandmother. “That whole idea of a Jewish woman whose son is a manager of a clothing store, living next door to one of the greatest scientists in the entire world… I love that whole dynamic. It’s ‘Jewish mother’ on so many levels.”
Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, Fridays, 9/8c, HBO and HBO Max