Watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus accidentally swear in front of Elmo
If you subscribe to the idea of an infinite amount of worlds, akin to the concept of Marvel’s multiverse but with added imagination, then there is surely a distant universe where the characters of Sesame Street are not inanimate puppets but breathing entities of life. Consider it terrifying or utterly charming, it’s nice to think that somewhere across the stars you might buy your coffee from a real-life ‘Big Bird’ before discarding the cup into the gob of ‘Oscar the Grouch’.
This is the reality that is suggested when you watch the behind-the-scenes footage of Sesame Street, the iconic children’s show set on a special inner city street where fuzzy, vibrant characters teach youngsters everything from maths to life skills. Do we really want our kids being taught such skills by a rambunctious crew of characters whose knowledge of the wider world is questionable? Whatever the answer, you have no choice, for their charm is simply too alluring to ignore.
Inviting stars of the real world to come and help them teach these life skills, Sesame Street has seen some iconic names walk its bricked road, including some surprising names from the world of entertainment such as Tony Soprano himself, James Gandolfini, rapper Ice Cube and even the controversial British comedian Ricky Gervais. Providing comedy and a thankful dose of realism to bring the fuzzy dreamscape back to earth, such celebrity cameos have led to dozens of hilarious moments.
Just one of these moments came in 1994 when the American actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus accidentally swore in front of the show’s leading puppet protagonist, Elmo.
Famed for her appearances in such TV shows and movies as A Bug’s Life, Seinfeld, Arrested Development and Veep, the multi-talented comedian appeared on the show during the height of her fame in the mid-1990s. Hoping that she would bring her unique style of comedy to the show, shown throughout her run on Seinfeld with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, the makers of Sesame Street were treated to a moment of behind-the-scenes hilarity from the actor.
Speaking to the fuzzy characters as if they were real-life people working on set, Louis-Dreyfus discusses how the forthcoming scene will play out, confirming the cues of everyone involved. Once she messes up her line, however, the actor remarks, “shit”, prompting the two muppets to react with shock to the profanity.
“She said a bad word…five dollars,” Elmo says in surprise toward the production crew before Louis-Dreyfus adds, “You’re gonna be a rich muppet by the end of this day”.
Demonstrating the ad hoc spontaneity of the classic show, this behind-the-scenes moment represents the purity of one of the most-loved children’s programmes of all time. Check out the clip in full below.
