ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with You People stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus & David Duchovny about the upcoming Netflix movie. The duo discussed the film’s serious subject matter and Xzibit. You People will begin streaming on Netflix on January 27.
“A new couple and their families find themselves examining modern love and family dynamics amidst clashing cultures, societal expectations, and generational differences in this comedy from Kenya Barris,” reads the movie’s logline.
Tyler Treese: Julia, there are these religious and cultural differences at play that are at the root of the story. And this makes for not just a hilarious movie, but a really strong and timely message underneath it all. What about You People really spoke to you?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: What spoke to me about You People is that it’s a very fresh, not derivative take on the romantic comedy that explores all those issues that you’ve mentioned in a way that we haven’t seen done before: pretty honestly and, most importantly, very comedically, which is, I think, a great way to tell a story — particularly one that, underneath it all, are very serious subject matters.
David, you are just hilarious throughout this and you sing “Ordinary People” and the little interjections you’re adding just had me in stitches. I know you’ve released several albums yourself, so how great was it getting to demonstrate your love of music, even if it’s more in a humorous tone here?
David Duchovny: Honestly, like if I’d been like 10 years ago or even six or seven years ago, if you’d said to me that I was gonna have to sing that song, and I’m not saying I did a great job at it, but I would’ve been petrified. But having sung a bit and having sung live and stuff like that … it’s amazing to me sometimes when I see the things that used to terrify me that I can see as an opportunity — in this case — to be funny and to be real. So yeah, that’s not something I ever would’ve tried or I probably would’ve tried to beg out of it at some other time in my career. So I was happy to go for it.
Julia, you’ve been in some of the greatest comedies ever and worked with so many greats. What really stood out about working with Eddie Murphy as a scene partner?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus: I mean, I love Eddie. I’ve known him since the 80s, and it was an opportunity to work again with a friend from back in the day, you know? His comedy chops … I mean, you can’t even quantitate because they’re so extreme and fabulous and powerful. So to work with him was a gift and I’m just delighted to have done it. I mean, he’s just amazing in this film.
David, you have this hilarious running joke in the movie about Xzibit, and obviously, he was in the second X-Files movie with you. Have you had the chance to talk to Xzibit about these jokes?
No, no, they weren’t my jokes. It was just something that Kenya [Barris, director] was coming up with as this kind of way off-tangent run for my character. I googled a picture of me and Xzibit [and] I showed to Kenya and he had no idea that we had actually worked together. So it was just fun that way. When Xzibit sees it, if he sees it, I hope that he knows it’s all in fun and all that, you know? There was nothing meant by it, it’s just a riff.
