Louis-Dreyfus breaks away from her 'Seinfeld' character

The actress is optimistic and realistic about her new show's success.
NEW YORK (AP) -- When Julia Louis-Dreyfus joins you for coffee and a chat, don't expect to be treated to a glimpse of Elaine's spazzed-out dance. And if you catch her off-guard with something you say, don't expect her to register surprise, Elaine-style, with "Get OUT!" followed by a two-handed shove.
For any devotee of "Seinfeld," on which Louis-Dreyfus served so indelibly for nine seasons (and will reign large in reruns until something better than "a show about nothing" comes along), a certain point, however obvious, bears repeating: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is not Elaine Benes.
Nor, by the way, is she the equally dizzy character she plays on her CBS sitcom, "The New Adventures of Old Christine."
Instead, Louis-Dreyfus seems someone who knows just what she's doing, which includes being funny when the camera rolls. It also entails a serious streak: levelheadedness, no matter how her lush head of hair might hint otherwise.
Except on this recent morning, her mane -- a Louis-Dreyfus trademark, on- and off-camera -- is disappointingly pulled back tight in a bun.
"Still wet," she explains. "But it's clean!"
"Old Christine," which premiered in March and airs at 9:30 p.m. Mondays, won't make anyone forget "Seinfeld." What could? Therefore, while her hopes are high, they're within reason: Louis-Dreyfus just wants the new show to be funny and to run many years, she sums up.
Different character
"Old" Christine is a character who resonates with this phase of Louis-Dreyfus' life: Unlike perpetually self-absorbed Elaine, Christine is a devoted mother.
But fueling the comedy, Christine is an insecure single mom locked in a triangle with her amicable ex-husband, Richard (Clark Gregg), and the "new" Christine (Emily Rutherford), who is Richard's younger, goodhearted if dimwitted girlfriend.
Sharing Christine's mateless homestead are the former couple's son, Ritchie (Trevor Gagnon), as well as her brother, Matthew (Hamish Linklater), who pitches in with childcare while Christine is at work.
Christine owns a 30-minute-workout spa for women, which is a funny notion since she clearly has doubts about her own body, especially as she re-enters the dating pool. Implicit in a 30-minute workout plan is the promise of near-instant transformation -- and the likelihood of failure. Failure can be funny, Louis-Dreyfus notes. And it's very relatable.
"There's a lot of pressure on us girls," she declares, hastening to add, "Not that there isn't pressure on guys, too." But this is a show from a girl's point of view.
Back on the male-oriented "Seinfeld," Elaine shared the guys' comic bent for self-sabotage stemming from their stubbornness, sloth and an insatiable appetite for generating chaos out of (yes) nothing.
Christine's self-sabotage feeds on more substantial origins. She's a woman on her own with a youngster to raise, a business to run and a romantic life to kick-start -- while fretting that she doesn't measure up in any department.
Workout coach, heal thyself! But in the interest of comedy, Christine doesn't seem to know how.
Louis-Dreyfus seems to know plenty.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.