Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld and Veep fame is counting her blessings after surviving a bout with breast cancer. Her recovery five years ago is fresh in her mind. But she has kept on working.

Louis-Dreyfus, who famously played Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, appears on the front cover of WSJ. Magazine for November 2023. The actress will receive the magazine’s entertainment innovator of the year. Now 62 years old, Louis-Dreyfus remembered the time that she received a call from her physician.

The doctor told her that she had stage 2 breast cancer back in September 2017. Louis-Dreyfus had just picked up her sixth straight Emmy Award in 2017. But while her first reaction was to laugh, that would soon turn into tears.

“I mean, it felt like it was written. It felt like it was a horrible black comedy,” Louis-Dreyfus told Parade. “And then it sort of morphed into crying hysterically.” She says that she was terrified of her diagnosis.

“You just simply don’t consider it for yourself, you know,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “That’s sort of the arrogance of human beings. But of course, at some point, we’re all going to bite it.”

‘Seinfeld’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus Became Cancer-Free in 2018

Good news would soon follow in her steps. The actress announced in October 2018 that she was cancer-free after a double mastectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy.

Louis-Dreyfus said that she used to feel immortal, but now, five years after finishing treatment, she has a new approach to life. She is determined to make the most of her years in remission.

“I find myself living more mindfully,” she said. “It’s not like it’s yakking at me all the time, but there’s more laser focus.”

Louis-Dreyfus will be honored at WSJ Magazine’s 13th annual Innovator Awards. She joins up with 6 other cultural groundbreakers in The Big Apple on Nov. 1.

Her work on Seinfeld and Veep has put Louis-Dreyfus in a world of her own. But did you know that she actually made her first live television appearance on Saturday Night Live? She joined the cast of the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” in 1982. And, at the time, she was the youngest cast member on the show.

While her stay on the popular sketch comedy show did not last too long, Louis-Dreyfus did happen to snag one thing that’s in her life today. She met her future husband Brad Hall, who was a comedian and writer on the show.

Her popularity over the years has grown thanks to her steady load of work. Louis-Dreyfus can say that she was part of one of television’s greatest sitcoms in Seinfeld. Playing Elaine let her show a comedic side throughout the show’s run.