Why Jayme From The Umbrella Academy Season 3 Looks So Familiar
Back in November, Netflix announced that the third season of The Umbrella Academy would start production in February 2021. Since then, it's been dealing out small teases about what fans will see in the series once season 3 releases — including some new characters in the form of super-powered members of the Sparrow Academy. The casting announcements included the reveal of Cazzie David as Jayme, who is described in the show's tweet as "a loner with a fear-inducing snarl you'd be wise to avoid at all costs. She doesn't say much because she doesn't have to."
Her picture doesn't look quite as fearsome as the blurb makes her sound. But does she seem a bit familiar? Although David isn't as experienced onscreen as some, she's been around the world of show business for most of her life. So, if you think you've seen this writer, director, and actress before, you might not be wrong. Instead of wracking your brain trying to figure out where you've encountered her before, check out this list.
Hannah Montana (2007)
Cazzie David's first onscreen appearance took place on an episode of Hannah Montana called "My Best Friend's Boyfriend," where she and her sister Romy played the daughters of their real-life father, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld creator Larry David. In the scene, the three try to gain entry to a trendy restaurant when Miley Cyrus' Hannah character jumps ahead of them in line with no problem.
David has just a few lines, but they're fun ones. She first refuses to lie about her birthday, and then she gets to explain to the restaurant host who her dad is. When nothing seems to get them into the place, she quips, "I bet Uncle Jerry could get us in." End scene.
Word has it the David girls were big fans of the show, which is how this decidedly odd cameo came about — it's a bit unlikely at the time that Hannah Montana's young audience would have had any knowledge of Larry David's résumé.
Eighty Sixed (2017)
In 2017, David and friend Elisa Kalani teamed up to create a web series called Eighty Sixed, which came from what The Atlantic called "the Curb school of dry, cynical humor." Eight episodes were filmed, starring David as Remi, a millennial recovering from a breakup. She also wrote and directed the series, which got some buzz for its clever yet sympathetic views on life.
"I just really wanted to make something that felt original. Which is also kind of hard to do in this day and age because, like, everything feels kind of done," David told Glamour in an interview. "I felt like portraying a candid, hypersensitive young person interacting in this new digital world and failing at it felt new. I wanted to tap into a new sector of the millennial mind and show a genuine side to the realities they're facing."
The tale resonated with YouTube viewers, who praise the series liberally and have watched episodes hundreds of thousands of times. They've compared her to a real-life Daria, for example. And if she was trying to draw from her father's success, she appears to have succeeded: "You're the next generation of Curb Your Enthusiasm," one fan gushed.