The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" series finale is tomorrow, which means the end of the funniest TV duo ever: Larry (Larry David) and Leon (J.B. Smoove).
Below are my 5 favourite scenes between them:
◻️(0:00) - Larry meets Leon for the first time (and is very confused)
◻️(0:31) - Larry accuses Leon of jerking off in the house after finding a stain
◻️(2:06) - Larry gives Leon job interview advice (my all-time fave exchange)
◻️(3:34) - Leon gives Larry self-defense advice
◻️(4:17) - "Long-ball Larry"
Smoove is now 58-years old and David is 76-years old. The pair getting together — with Smoove joining "Curb" for its 6th season (2007) — was pure serendipity.
After getting let go from SNL, Smoove had flown to LA for a funeral in 2006 on the exact same week that Larry David was casting the Leon character.
Smoove’s agent finessed an audition and he explained his strategy on the Origins podcast:
➡️ “I never walk into an audition as myself. I always walk in there as the character…who I'm portraying so they can see how I walk. How I move. How I say ‘hello’. Everything is under the character as opposed to JB going in the room and then doing the character.”⬅️
In character as Leon, he told Larry he might slap him. Smoove had so much swagger that the “Curb” team was confused.
"Curb" is famously an improv show and and Smoove's quick-footed gags were perfect. He crushed the audition and had Larry in stitches -- you can watch his performance from the (4:30) mark in the video (it’s the “jerk off in house” premise).
Before the audition, the “Curb” writers hadn’t fleshed out the Leon character. But when they saw Smoove, they knew that was “Leon” and we’ve got infinite laughs since over 17 years and 70 episodes.