Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Gets Wise with Annie Leibovitz
Dec 3, 2025
Annie Leibovitz, a celebrated photographer known for capturing iconic cultural moments, joins Julia for an enlightening chat. They delve into the nuances of aging and the creative reinvention that comes with experience. Annie shares her thoughts on photographing comedians and the vulnerability of older subjects, emphasizing authenticity over staged smiles. The duo also discusses how images shape women’s self-perception and the intimacy found in domestic portraiture. Plus, Annie reflects on the legacy of her late partner Susan Sontag and her approach to parenting later in life.
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Loss Of Family Photo Archive
- Julia lost over 90 photo albums and tens of thousands of family images in the Pacific Palisades fire, making photos feel like irreplaceable memory anchors.
- A single surviving passport photo of Julia and her young mother became a
Portraiture As Cultural Storytelling
- Annie Leibovitz transformed portraiture by blending photojournalism and staged narrative to define decades and careers.
- Her images make viewers feel intimately seen and rewrite how we recognize public figures.
Aging Brings Creative Clarity
- Annie says aging brings clarity: you know what you're doing and can slow down into methodical work.
- She finds pleasure in doing things more deliberately and enjoying that steadiness.
