AceShowbiz - Joining the iconic "Saturday Night Live" might be a comedian's dream come true, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus' entry into the show was anything but smooth. In a candid conversation on the "Wiser Than Me" podcast, the Emmy-winning actress relived the challenges of her early days on "SNL".

Louis-Dreyfus became part of the NBC sketch comedy show in 1982, making history as its youngest female cast member at just 21 years old. Coming from the Practical Theater Company in Chicago, she and a group of three other unknown comedians were invited to New York to audition by performing the first act of their comedy show.

"It was excruciating," she recalled. The audition was held "under fluorescent lights in the middle of the day in front of 20 very cynical, unfriendly 'SNL' cast members and writers. [They] already hated us because a bunch of their best friends had just been fired to make room for us." Unfortunately, what had been a hit in Chicago fell flat in New York. "Sketches that had killed in Chicago died a terrible, terrible death that day. It was excruciating."

This difficult audition experience cast a shadow over her time at "SNL". Despite working alongside comedy legends like Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Martin Short, and Christopher Guest, Louis-Dreyfus described the SNL environment as "pretty brutal" during an interview with Stephen Colbert in 2019.

She admitted, "I was unbelievably naive and I didn't really understand how the dynamics of the place worked. It was very sexist... People were doing crazy drugs at the time. I was oblivious. I just thought, 'Oh wow. He's got a lot of energy.' "

However, she used this period of hardship to learn valuable life lessons. "I've learned a lot since that cringey day in a carpeted office on the 17th floor of 30 Rock," she said. She realized the importance of ensuring her work was enjoyable and fulfilling: "I learned I wasn't going to do anymore of this show business crap unless it was fun... I don't have to walk and crawl through this kind of nasty glass if it's not ultimately going to be fulfilling."

This mindset has driven her career choices ever since, guiding her to select roles that pass her "fun-meter" test. For young aspiring comedians and actors, Louis-Dreyfus' story is a reminder that even the most successful stars face tough beginnings, and that it's crucial to find joy and fulfillment in one's work.