Conan Loved Being An Asshole On “Curb Your Enthusiasm” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

My name is Susie Esman and I feel. tickled pink about being Conan O'Brien's. friend. All right, I'm not buying that for a. second. I'm not buying that. Are we friends? Really? Well, I'd like to think we are. Or are we just showbiz friends? We're showbiz friends. If you ever try. to speak to me outside of a showbiz. setting, you'll get. Here we go. I need clearance. You'll get. It's funny. The reach of the curb your. enthusiasm is incredible because I mean. ever since I did that episode which was.

I think third from last or something. episode of the of the run of the show. and Larry needs cone and clearance. So. many people come up and say I know I. don't have clearance. but would you like some French fries. with your you know uh burger? So, is it tedious at this point? It's. tedious. I like it. No. Okay. I I mean, you know what I love that you did in. that episode? You allowed yourself to be. an. Oh, trust me. Allowed. Was it a stretch? No, it was not. Well, well, this is uh it's funny.

because. um I've always. uh loved when when I I'm constantly. riffing with different people in the. office or writers or other comics and um. my go-to is this antagonistic guy. And. it's so funny because I was raised to be. so polite. Yeah. And I do really want people to be. happy. I mean, I'm a people pleaser. But.

one of the things I love about the job. is that when there are moments when it's. comedically necessary, you can go to. town and who are you talking to? I know exact No, Susie, I don't think. you get it. Let me explain. It's really. fun to vent as a comedy. God, Susie. doesn't get it. Um, but anyway, when I went into that. episode, my thought was, cuz I've done a. lot of improv, was, "Oh, I get it. This. show is whatever Larry wants, don't give. it to him." Right? So,

Larry sees me and he's trying to. establish a connection and I know my job. is not to let him have it. And then he. wants to have maybe get together and I. will not let it happen, which is I would. never do that in real life, but it was. so much fun. It's called. No, it's not in my part. I don't think I. can act my way out of a paper bag, but. it was really fun to do that. It was so. much fun. But, you know, some people would not. allow themselves to be that character.

because they want to be likable and, you. know, they don't. It It was funny with. Ted Dansen. Ted didn't know for a very. long time that he was the CAD. Yeah. You know, cuz that's not his character. in real. I mean, he's everybody loves. Ted Dancing and Larry made him the. you know, and he was not aware of it in. the beginning that he was the. but then he's really good at it. Yeah, he's great at it. I don't know if you agree with this, but. you seem to me like somebody who. um and you know, the question obviously.

you probably get all the time is where. does Susie Esman start and Susie Green. begin? because you've been so brilliant. at being so vulgar and being so angry. at, you know, Jeff Garland's character. and and and and Larry David and just. furious with everyone and letting it. fly. And sometimes when someone's that. good at it, I think that's because they. don't get to be that way in their. everyday life. So this is a release.

Yeah, it is. I mean, I I don't walk. around treating people that way. And and. talking about people pleasing, I see. when people stop me in the street, uh. because I live in New York, so I'm in. the street and I actually ran into you. in New York recently. I was going to talk about this. Yeah. When they when they stop me in the. street, I see that they're visibly. disappointed when I'm gracious. I see their faces just fall. They're. just so disappointed when I'm gracious. and kind. because they want you to call them a.

face or something. Exactly. And I actually don't do that in. real life. Surprise, surprise. It's. called acting. It's a character. But yeah, it's tremendously releasing. And and I I would go home after a. screaming scene, which is almost all of. them. And I would just I would sleep. really well that night cuz I was like a. primal scream. Yes. It's funny because I know that your. parents your dad an oncologist. My dad's. a microbiologist. Your mom uh taught at.

Sarah Lawrence. My mom's uh a lawyer, very well educated people, and we were. not we weren't even show business. adjacent. We were a million miles from. show business. And it was very important. that everybody hide their anger. You. could use guilt and you could use. sarcasm, but there was a lot of attempts to hide. anger and displeasure. And then I found. when I got into comedy that being able. to just if I shared an office with, you. know, Bob Odenkirk and I could just go.

to town on him. Yeah. It was so much fun. I It was fun. And it's this miraculous. thing where you're playing so no one. gets hurt. No one gets hurt. And And then, you. know, I'll scream and yell at Larry and. whatever or Jeff, whoever, and then it's. cut and it's like, "All right, where do. you want to have dinner?" You know, it's. just it's just completely nobody gets. hurt. That's the beauty of it. I say. that all the time. You scream, you yell, "Fuck you," and you're an but. and nobody gets hurt. No, I think that's something that's kind.

of magical. We do this uh all the time. where I'll go back and forth with Sona. If I ever thought for a second, if. someone later on said, "Sona's feelings. got a little bit hurt. I would not sleep. probably for 5 days.". Right. Right. You're so good at it, though. That's why. it might be who you really are. This is. the facade. This is the facade. Well, so it's funny. because I got offered this part uh with. the the these brilliant uh young fellows. uh on Saturday Saturday Night Live that.

do Please Don't Destroy. They said, "Do. you want to be in our we're going to. make a movie. Do you want to be in our. movie?" And I said, "Well, I'm not an. actor." And they said, "Well, just check. out the part." And I checked out the. part and all I do is because I'm a. redhead, I'm the I'm Ben's Ben. Marshall's father. They just thought it. would be funny if I was Ben Marshall's. father. And all I do is scream at him. and all of them the whole movie. Did you. have fun? I had a blast. Yeah, baby. And and they gave me a little like. Breaking Bad goatee,

Brian Cranston goatee. And all I do is. on them the whole time. I'm. craving. I'm an I'm a bully. And I slept like a baby. Yeah. Every night. Welcome to my world. But I have to take issue with something. you just said. This I'm not an actor. Mhm. It's. Okay. Because you were on every day you did a. TV show. That's true. And you know, you're delivering monologues, you're. doing sketches. It's, you know, what do.

you think it is? It's not like, you. know, well, you're not you're not Mel Street. Well, god damn it. Neither is she, Susie. I was certain. Wow. Meil Stre. isn't Mel Street. Uh, she'll be crushed. I would say to Larry all the time, I I. think Larry's a great actor and I think. he's just gotten better and better over. the years. And I would tell him that and. he was I don't that I'm not an actor. I. don't act. I'm Yes, he is acting. That's. not who he is in real life. Right. What's funny, I think uh I guess.

what I'm saying is I know that if I had. to go out on stage and have a very. emotionally raw moment with somebody and. weep and tell them I love them or That's. masturbatory. That kind of acting. That's not acting. That's. How did How did you know I cry when I. masturbate? When I masturbate, I'm just like, "Oh, God. I love you.".

I think everybody probably assumed that. about you. But but that that I mean that's one kind. of acting, right? And you're right. There was a. to all those years almost three decades. of doing the talk show. I do think the. the one thing I would got very good at. was sometimes because you're doing a. volume business you're interviewing. someone who you're not you're talking to. three people a night, five nights a. week. There's some dullards in there.

There's some dullards and there's some. people who maybe you didn't w really. excited to talk to. I would work on No. No. Everybody's. you'd fake it. Fake it. and also convince myself I am. interested in this 26y old actor from. the WB show that I've never watched. There's nothing to say of interest. I'm sorry. It's always a 26y old actor from a. W. I'm thinking of one person. Uh, no. So, but so you could say, well, you. were a performer, but you were acting,

right? Acting is pretending, right? It's what it is.