Contrary to popular belief Susie Essman really isn’t like her Curb Your Enthusiasm character (who, not-so-coincidentally, is also named Susie). Susie Greene, equal parts outspoken but brash, and with a penchant of bad-mouthing Larry David has gone from supporting character to fan favorite.’It has been 21 years since her inception, not least due to her garish clothes, which have been called “everything from” “ridiculous”To “deranged”—particularly in the most recent season. Here, Essman talks to ELLE.com about Susie’s wild sense of style, designer closet, and making Larry laugh.
Larry never put any input into my clothing. Only when he says, “No. It’s too much.” Sure, he’ll comment on my outfits, but in all 11 seasons, I only remember one time that he made me change. I don’t remember what [the outfit] was—I just remember he looked at me and said, “You look insane. You went too far.” I think at this point he accepts it. [The clothes are]It’s a part of her character and who is she? It’s comedy!
As a female stand-up comic, how I dressed on stage was always very important to me ‘cause the male comics would look filthy, dirty, and disgusting. I always felt like my routine was about me. I wouldn’t do it without makeup. The challenge was striking a balance between looking good and not too sexually provocative, because it’s way too confusing for men in the audience—they don’t know if they want to laugh or if they want to fuck you. I try to look attractive and sexy but not too sexually provocative. You can alsoWhen I perform, I am very sexy. I wouldn’t wear anything too short or with too much cleavage.
Susie’s style has definitely evolved over the course of the show. In the first season, the Greene’s house was very stark and modern with black leather furniture. In her first scene, Susie was screaming, cursing and yelling. I can still remember thinking, This woman is not afraid to take risks. She thinks she has the greatest taste in the entire world and listens to no one—no decorator, no stylist, no one. She doesn’t see any demarcations—it’s all part of her personality: big, take-no-prisoners, no second thoughts. She’s completely secure about every opinion and every choice, especially when it comes to fashion.
Fashion is Susie’s creative outlet. That’s how she expresses herself. She’s extremely over-coordinated—everything is matchy-matchy. She also contrasts. She’s got her own sense of what works. What comes to mind is that cowboy outfit in episode five where she’s got the fringed denim with the cowboy boots. She loves a good theme. She loves Cheryl [Hines] is the dullest dresser ever—no personality, no pizazz.
And by the way, Susie’s clothes are all Very expensive. I remember giving them. [costume designer] Wendy [Range Rao] an idea of how I wanted her to dress, and she asked, “Where am I gonna find that stuff?” I said, “Well, you’ve gotta go to the back room of Loehmann’s.” So we took a little field trip and I showed her the kind of stuff that she would wear and [Wendy] was like, “This place is a goldmine.” Then [costume designer]Christina Mongini was the first to come in and she did it well. And [costume designer] Leslie [Schilling]It’s all she can do. She lets it all fly and puts it all out there.
Leslie and me usually start with one piece of clothing and then create the outfit. She’ll bring a whole bunch of stuff to a fitting and we’ll play dress-up. My fittings can last hours. We laugh the entire time. Then, we send pictures to our EP Jeff Schaffer and he either approves or disapproves—but I’ve never known him to disapprove. All the outfits are ready for me in my trailer when I arrive at work. It’s always a thing when I walk on set. It’s always a presentation.
I don’t know if there’s anything Susie would never wear. She would not wear fur, because she’s very political. She’d wear faux fur. She always purchases sustainable items. blah blah blah. She gives her clothes away to her housekeepers. Certain things have evolved over the years out of necessity. For example, about six years ago I broke my ankle, so I can’t wear heels anymore. I now have slide-on, bedazzled sneakers.
I think Susie got more and more confident in her look as she’s become a more important part of the fabric of the Curb family. There’s an unconscious safety net there, so she’s gotten more outrageous with her choices. The other thing to consider is that Jeff is serially cheating on Susie, so part of her deal with that is, she doesn’t give a shit: give her the jewelry, give her the house, give her the bags, give her whatever she wants. That’s her thing. She will spend insane amounts of money on clothes.
There have been so many outfits that I loved, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I remember one season, I had these Versace pants with a gold appliqué belt. It was terrible, but it was amazing. Or those bedazzled sweatshirts of season three. I don’t keep any of my wardrobe, but I frequently keep one piece as a memento. An expression Leslie and I have is “just around the house,” but it’s still Susie Greene. It’s not something I would ever wear.
I don’t dress like Susie at all in real life. As a matter of fact, I have to be extra careful, because sometimes I’ll see something, like a cute leopard-print sweater, and I’m just like, “No, I can’t. It’s too Susie Greene.” I’ve gone the other way completely. I’m a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl. I like simplicity. The issue with Susie is that very often one piece is fine, but it’s the combo. It’s layering one on top of the other on top of the other and just going and going. I’m careful not to dress like her, because as it is, people already think I am her, and I’m nothing like her. I’m acting. I don’t need to put that out into the world.
We never know season to season if we’re coming back—that’s all Larry. If I were a gambler, I would say that we are. We have fun. That’s why I believe that. It’s all about making Larry laugh. He has such a wonderful sense of humor. JoyousHis whole face lights-up when he laughs. And I make Larry laugh, which is very lucky because that’s why I’ve been working for the past 21 years. If I didn’t make him laugh, I don’t know if I would’ve ever had this part.
This interview was lightly edited and condensed to improve clarity.
Source: elle
