Pierce was asked to play the pivotal role of Paul Child, a supportive and involved husband in Julia’s thrilling second act, but initially had to turn it down because he had another engagement in the theater. Producers then were faced with a six-month pandemic delay and Pierce was then available to take the role, and do some good-natured on-screen sparring with Frasier colleague and longtime friend, Bebe Neuwirth—what the producers call “a little bit of kismet.” Showrunner/executive producer Chris Keyser told Parade.com, “David and Bebe really love each other, are delightful together and they play so well together. We leaned into that in the writer’s room, on how to give Avis and Paul that playful bickering and have some fun together.” Pierce is best known for his iconic Emmy-Award-winning role as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the sitcom Frasier, starring opposite Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpinthe late John Mahoney, and fan-favorite Eddie the Dog. Pierce’s other roles include the films Sleepless in Seattle, Nixonand Down with Loveand the TV showThe Good Wife. His most recent Broadway role was opposite Bette Midler in Hello Dolly. He explains that initially he did not know much about Paul Child, but was immediately smitten by the connection between Julia and Paul. “It was just so compelling and kind of beautiful,” Pierce exclusively tells Parade.com. “Then after having said yes, I started to dive into Paul’s actual life,” he adds. “I just fell in love with him. I think he is the most complicated, interesting person and such a devoted spouse and partner to Julia. I was taken with him.” Read on to find out more about Pierce’s love for his craft, his fondness for Frasier, and why he loves Julia as much as we do.
What are you looking forward to for Season 2? I know from your producers that a trip to France is in the works.
David Hyde Pierce: I heard a rumor of a trip to France, and I was hoping that was true. That is awesome. Nice work if you can get it is how I feel about that. Paul and Julia actually built a house on the land of (Julia’s French friend and co-author) Simca, called La Pitchoune or La Peetch. So I’m assuming that’s going to be part of the story, too. It was their getaway in Southern France.
Which sounds divine.
Yes, what’s not to love? I’m very much looking forward to that. So certainly, that will be fun. I don’t know what else they have in store for us. We know the kind of the historic story of what actually happened with Paul and Julia, but the writers have been very creative in finding ways to flesh that out and sort of creating scenes that we don’t know about. I will be looking forward to seeing what kind of vichyssoise they sink us into this coming season.
Tell me about working with Bebe Neuwirth in Julia.
Oh, it’s been as it always was, a hoot. I think she’s just exquisite on the show. I know about my scenes with Bebe and how much fun they were to play. But also getting to watch her stuff with Sarah and Brittany. I admire Bebe so much, and I really think she stands out in this series. She’s found a beautiful way to play this character who is very multi-dimensional and funny. I just am enjoying the scenes I get to watch her as much as the ones I get to play with her.
Had you kept in touch over the years?
We see each other all the time, either going to each other’s shows if that’s the case, or we do a lot of benefits. We both work a lot with The Actors Fund and Broadway Cares. I was just honored by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, which is a wonderful orchestra in New York City, and she graciously hosted the evening, which was great. We are constantly in each other’s lives.
How quickly did you find your chemistry with the wonderful Sarah Lancashire, who plays Julia Child?
It was pretty quick. I would say I don’t know about the chemistry of the characters, but in terms of the chemistry of the actors, I met her the day of the first table read back when we did the pilot and she was just instantly wonderful in the part. If you’ve seen the show then you can see how skillful she is in creating the picture of this very well-known woman. But in her own way on her own terms through her own artistry. I think that’s a wonderful gift that she has. Especially when you see some of the other roles she’s played. She clearly is a very versatile actress and she brings a lot of skills and tools to the crafting of the character, and that’s really fun to be around.
Were there any special foods that you ate while making the show that stand out?
Oh yeah! Well, first of all, Christine who was the actual chef who prepared this food is just so brilliant. I’m sure other people have talked about it, too, because it’s kind of all we can talk about. She not only is an exquisitely gifted chef but she also was able to reproduce specific recipes of Julia’s. And then it’s about being able to do it in the mass quantities that you need to do multiple takes in a TV show like this. Basically, anything that came out of her kitchen was delectable. I guess the thing that stands out for me, weirdly, is there’s a scene at a restaurant that we frequent in the show. Paul had a steak and I had to eat a lot of that steak because we had a lot of takes, and it was so perfectly cooked and perfectly delicious. That even though that’s such a simple thing, a steak, to do it so beautifully stands out in my mind.
Do you enjoy cooking or are you a foodie?
Not like that, no. I eat and I’m not even really like an expert eater. I don’t know the fine details of gourmet food and stuff. But I do love it. My husband is a fantastic cook and so I’ve worked as a sous chef with him sort of helping him to do stuff. This is essentially how Paul functions with Julia in the kitchen as a sous chef, so that part I kind of understand.
What makes Julia Child the person, the TV personality and the cookbook author, and Frasier for that matter, such classics?
What do they have in common? I think that’s a really good question because I feel like when people are appreciating Julia, the show, there is something in the kinds of things they’re saying that remind me of what people talk about when they talk about Frasier. Frasier is obviously much more of a comedy and it’s much more specifically written as a situation comedy. Julia isn’t that. But there is something about the humanity and the accessibility of the stories and the people that I think really appeal to audiences. They don’t feel like they’re being talked down to. Here’s another parallel: When you think about it Frasier, there was so much high-falutin’ talk about wine and fine dining and culture and snootiness and all that. In the same way, Julia Child’s programs were all about haute cuisine, but they spoke directly to an audience with no condescension. I think what the audience gets from them is through all the surface trappings of ‘This is French cooking’ or ‘This is about people who are well-to-do,’ there is something just down to Earth about the stories—whether it’s the story of what went on in Frasier and the family and friends connections in that or what went on in Julia, the story of her life, the story of her life with Paul, the story of their connections and friends. There’s something—in the midst of all of the high culture, they’re sneaking in heart and soul.
You can turn on a TV set anywhere in the world and watch Frasier reruns.
Yes, well it’s one of those shows that—and this is really a tribute to the writing, it just holds up. It wasn’t bound by its time in any meaningful way. It was just stories, stories of people, so I think that’s why it continues to be seen. Well, I grew up on the Looney Tunes cartoons. And I think most of my acting technique comes from those characters.
It seems like the cast of Frasier really bonded.
Yes. They’re such great people. We were blessed with that company. That was a very close group.
What did you learn about yourself from doing Julia?
It’s a really good question because feel like I have learned so much. I think just specifically talking about the character of Paul and what he goes through, the idea of what it is to have a career, what it is to find the love of your life, what it is to feel like you’re in the background or what it is to support someone, all of these things tap into things that have happened to me in my life. So maybe it’s almost like a trip down memory lane or something. I don’t know if it’s about what I’m learning as it is about—I think maybe the answer is being—I’m in my 60s now. I’ve lived a certain amount of life and I’ve reached that point as an actor where all of these things—there’s a lot there to come to bear on whatever you are asked to do in a show. I feel that the more life you’ve lived and the more roles you’ve played, the more is there for you without you having to look for it. I think I’m discovering that and it’s a very pleasant place to be.
I also saw you with Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly. That was so much fun.
For us, too. That was a really joyous experience, beginning to end. Also, it was another world because it was before COVID. It’s kind of hard to imagine the city that we were working in and the Broadway theater we were working in, and just how our lives were so different then. The whole world changed after that.
Do you have plans to go back to Broadway?
I don’t have plans. I have a couple of possibilities that I think—one of the nice things about this schedule, unlike the old days with Frasier when we would do 24 episodes a season, with Julia’s eight episodes a season, it is possible to do something else. I thoroughly love the theater so chances are that in the space between Season 2 of Julia and whatever comes after that I will go back to the theater and possibly a Broadway show.
For my readers who haven’t seen Season 1 of Julia yet, why do you urge them to want to watch?
I never feel comfortable recommending something to people. I feel like people are so different and our lives are so different and you have time for this or that. But I think it’s worth watching the first episode, and it may surprise you where it goes and what it has to say. So, see if it grabs you, and then if you like the first episode watch the second one. If you get through all eight and you think that was good, we have a whole other season coming. Season 1 of Julia is streaming on HBO Max. Next, get the details on the Julia Season 2 cast, release date and more.
