If House of Cards and The Office were to have a baby, it would probably spawn HBO’s political satire Veep.
The critically acclaimed comedy series follows a female Vice President–played by Seinfeld alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus—and documents the pros and cons of her vital position.
Like her TV counterpart—sharp assistant and right hand woman Sue Wilson—actress Sufe Bradshaw is also charming, clever and quite charismatic. Keep reading to see what she really thinks of politics and what she would do if she were Obama for a day.
Be sure to tune into HBO on April 6 for the season three premiere of Veep.
Photo Credit: Erik Asla
VIBE Vixen :What’s it like working with a primetime TV legend like Julia Louis-Dreyfus ?
Sufe: It’s an absolute joy–she is an awesome person. She’s funny, she’s amicable and she’s a team player which is great to work with. Julia is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met- she’s always the first one in and the last one out.
A lot of people are not too familiar with Veep. Tell us more about the show and your character.
Veep is the story of Vice President Selena Mayer. It’s a funny office show about six people, and our job is to keep the VP out of trouble, which she is quite prone to. It’s poking fun at politics. I play Sue Wilson who is her secretary, Tony Hale plays her confidant, Reid Scott plays the token new guy, Matt Walsh plays her press secretary and Anna Chlumsky plays the Chief of Staff.
What would you be doing if you weren’t an actress?
I love law and I love justice, so I think I would have been a lawyer. Knowing your rights as a human being is an important thing to know.
What are your political views?
I think it is so great right now that we are in an age where there’s an African American president in office. I think it is important for our generation to really witness that. It’s really cool to see the diversity in the White House and just a mere 10-15 years ago, that was non-existent.There’s a lot of division in politics and that is why I am grateful to be a part of a show like Veep. It makes light of the daunting aspects of the political world.
Are you a fan of other politically themed shows like House of Cards and Scandal?
Oh yes, definitely. I love them both– they are really well written and well formed. I also love The West Wing–that is one of my all time favorites.
If you were president for a day, what would you do?
I will certainly push affordable health care. I think Obamacare is one of the greatest moves that will be beneficial for everyone in this country. Another thing I will do in my presidency is officiate a free ice cream day (laughs)! Free ice cream for everyone!
Why should we watch Veep?
It’s a really funny show with amazing characters. Veep is very timely right now; we kind of laugh at politics. This world can be very disheartening, so it is nice to sit back and laugh at it. Laughter is the best medicine.
Any new projects ?
I’m in a movie called Imperial Dreams, which got into Sundance. We are checking on distribution right now. I’m also in a project called Happy Medium that will hopefully get into the African Black Film Festival.