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Politics and presidents have been the backdrop of many successful TV shows. Over the past few years, Madam Secretary, House of Cards, and Scandal are just a few of the many shows that won over tremendous amounts of viewers with storylines centering around the government. Veep is another prime example of entertainment stemming from D.C.

The groundbreaking HBO comedy series portrayed politics in a fresh and funny way, and Veep‘s fan base quickly grew. However, some of the series’ fans and followers might be shocked to learn that Matt Walsh was the cast member who was known to break character the most frequently. 

Matt Walsh smiling in front of a white background
Matt Walsh | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

A look back at HBO’s ‘Veep’

HBO first started premiering Veep in 2012, and it didn’t take very long for the show’s popularity and reputation to grow. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the actor at the center of it all. Louis-Dreyfus, best known for the role of Elaine Benes from Seinfeld, was cast as Selina Meyer.

On Veep Selina Meyer was known for her vice-presidential status and her popular phrase, “politics is about people”. Meyer’s unique sense of humor and often cringey moments are part of what made the character so memorable. Veep ran for seven seasons before tearfully coming to an end in 2019. Take a look at the other stars and characters that made the HBO series such a hit. 

The cast and characters of ‘Veep’

Tony Hale definitely seemed to be a fan-favorite from Veep. Hale, who is often associated with his character Buster from Arrested Development, took on the role of Gary Walsh in this HBO series. Being Selina Meyer’s personal assistant, Gary knew the VP very well. 

Anna Chlumsky played the character of Amy Brookheimer and Reid Scott took on the role of Dan Egan. Timothy Simons, Gary Cole, and Kevin Dunn are just a few more of the remarkable and impressive actors who helped bring the characters of Veep to life. Speaking of, there was one cast member in particular who often struggled with staying in character. 

Matt Walsh’s broke character the most while filming the HBO series

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Actors spend years perfecting and working on their craft, but, with that being said, they are still people who sometimes make mistakes. When it came to the cast of Veep, Matt Walsh was the one who often had trouble controlling himself. Walsh, who played the part of Mike McLintock, has admitted to being the cast member who most often broke character. Mental Floss recapped the details behind this very special honor.  

Walsh revealed that it was always the limo scenes that would end up giving him the most trouble. As IndieWire highlighted, Walsh explained, “It’s really cramped and there’s a cameraman on your shoulder and it’s always hot. For some reason, I always giggle, and I feel we giggle the most whenever we do those limo scenes.” Anytime the viewers caught Walsh looking up to the ceiling or glancing into his bag, chances are the actor was trying to gain his composure and maintain the scene. 

In retrospect, who wouldn’t blame him for having a little trouble keeping his cool on what is arguably one of the funniest shows of today’s times? Walsh’s sense of humor and character are just some of the many reasons the HBO television series Veep was so incredibly popular.