If you’ve ever seen HBO’s Veep, then you’re familiar with Sue, the witty, sassy executive assistant to Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Bringing life to this no-nonsense character is the hilarious Sufe Bradshaw. When she’s not getting work done as Sue, she’s working on some of her own projects, including a documentary that she hopes is completed by the end of this year. She’s sweet, hilarious, kind-hearted, and an absolute joy to chat with. Keep an eye out for Bradshaw and all her projects, and make sure you catch the season 3 premiere of Veep on April 6th.
Cliché: How would you describe Sue, the character you play on Veep?
Sufe Bradshaw: Oh, Sue is great, so great. She’s acerbic, very down-to-earth, and she gets the work done. She’s one of those people who we’ve all met. She works day in and day out. She’s kind of the junkyard dog of the office. She gets work done.
She has such great one-liners. Do you ever come up with your own?
Oh, that’s all the writers. They come up with all of that great stuff. We have such a great relationship with the writers. To deliver the best performance, they write great stuff, and then the ensemble is great. Really, I credit the writers for her. All I have to do is step into her shoes, and the rest is history.
Is it different working on HBO than working on a network show?
There is slightly more freedom, I would say, working on cable than on a network. Both of them are great because a network makes you have to focus more on guidelines, where cable gives you more freedom to say what you want. I think the writers and producers of Veep know that people have to pay for cable so they need more bang for their buck, and there’s more liberty.
What’s the hardest part of piecing a documentary together?
The interesting thing about putting a doc together is that because for my personal documentary, it’s taken so much time for the beginning, middle, and end, so remembering where the true light is. Opinions differ as well. The hardest part is keeping the consistency throughout the entire process.
What do you have planned for the new year?
I’m just really excited about finishing Veep season 3. It’s been the funniest thing, and I know when I’m in the room laughing that it’s going to be a good season. I’m excited for Imperial Dreams at Sundance, and I’m excited to continue yoga as well. I’m just being grateful for what I have, and I’m going to enjoy the good weather in the west.
Check out more of Sweet and Sassy—An Interview with Sufe Bradshaw in Cliché Magazine’s Feb/Mar issue!
Featured photo by Erik Asla
