Julia Louis-Dreyfus: 'SNL made me feel like Cinderella'

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has reflected on joining Saturday Night Live at just 21 years old.

The actress was hired along with future husband Brad Hall and Gary Kroeger of the Practical Theater Group to fill out SNL's cast in 1982, before she'd even graduated from Northwestern University.

Louis-Dreyfus discussed the near-overnight transition from college student to national celebrity in an interview with Capitol File.

"When SNL first began, I was their demographic - a young teenager watching Gilda [Radner] and [John] Belushi and Bill Murray and all those guys - and I was just riveted," she told the magazine.

"It was a huge Cinderella-getting-to-go-to-the-ball kind of experience, really."

During her three years on Saturday Night Live, Louis-Dreyfus first met then-comedy writer Larry David, who eventually cast her in her career-defining role as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld.

Louis-Dreyfus became the first ever former female cast member to host Saturday Night Live when she returned to the late-night series in 2006.

The actress will co-star with Tony Hale in Armando Ianucci's new comedy series Veep, which will air on HBO in 2012.

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Watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a clip from Saturday Night Live below (US only):