Julian Stern Shares How His Character Brings Hope During the AI Boom and What It Was Like Working With His Mom, Lisa Kudrow
SPOILERS: This post contains details about The Comeback, Season 3 episode ‘Valerie Does It All’.
Fans of The Comeback, the acclaimed series starring Lisa Kudrow, were in for a surprise during the most recent episode: Julian Stern, Kudrow’s real-life son, made an appearance.
“I was really nervous going in, cause I’ve never worked with my mom professionally like that before,” Stern shared. He expressed concerns about staying focused while acting alongside his mother. “But my mom, she’s a great actress,” he added. “When I’m talking with my mom, I’m talking with my mom. When I’m talking with Valerie Cherish, it’s a different person.”
In this week’s episode, Valerie Cherish faces a chaotic situation while making a sitcom that incorporates AI technology. Amid technical troubles, she finds an unexpected ally in Evan, played by Stern. Evan, a former TV writer, left the industry for what he views as a more viable path in AI.
Stern described his character, stating, “I don’t wanna be too altruistic, but I think he’s kind of the hope that it’s not fully done.” He compared the current landscape of television to earlier seismic shifts in the industry, recalling, “In the first season of The Comeback, writers thought TV was over. The same sentiments arose in 2014 with younger audiences gravitating toward the internet.” He remains optimistic, believing that while Hollywood may lose some viewers, there will still be an audience for TV shows, albeit in a transformed context.
Stern continued, “Yes, Hollywood is gonna lose some of their audience, but they’re not gonna lose everyone. It’s just gonna be integrated in a weirder way than we’ve never seen before.”
As he delved deeper into his experience on the show, he noted, “AI is more of a tool than a replacement.” He emphasized the importance of human management in the creative process, asserting that AI cannot fully replace human workers.
In a reflective moment, Stern spoke about playing an awkward character. “It comes very naturally,” he admitted, describing his approach to physical comedy. “Michael Patrick King, the director, would tell me to play it up more when I’m scared.” He revealed that he found it easy to embody his character’s timidity.
When asked about working alongside his mother, Stern reflected, “I was really nervous going in… But it was easy to slip into just being this nerdy guy, not her son.” He separated the character of Valerie Cherish from his real-life experiences, noting, “I grew up with my mom, and she is a completely separate character from Valerie.”
Despite his early childhood, Stern shared a memory from the first season when he operated the slate. Turning to his current work, he detailed projects in development, including an animated short titled The Voiceless Man, which led to a new relationship, and an upcoming series titled Goblin Girlfriend.
In a time when creative roles are diversifying, Stern is determined to embrace it all—writing, directing, and editing—as he navigates the evolving landscape of Hollywood.
