Julia Louis-Dreyfus Stars in New PSA, Wants to Help Others Fighting Cancer

Mary Green
Updated

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a message for American citizens ahead of the upcoming midterm election: Don’t just vote — volunteer.

PEOPLE can exclusively announce that the actress, who has long been an outspoken Democrat, has partnered with registered Federal PAC Local Majority to put together a PSA — directed by her husband Brad Hall — aimed at getting out the vote.

“A corrupt, self-obsessed, inept moron who somehow becomes president of the United States? That’s the character that I play on HBO’s Veep,” she says in the PSA. “But when I’m off of TV, I’m not a politician, I’m not an expert, I’m a citizen. And I know that the midterm election on Nov. 6 is beyond important. It is vital.”

As a group of Democratic volunteers from around California offer their own reasons for getting involved — protecting the environment, supporting women’s rights, fighting for immigration reform — Louis-Dreyfus opens up about a cause that hits close to home: affordable health care. (She announced she was diagnosed with breast cancer last September.)

“I’m a cancer survivor, and I am really lucky because I had access to excellent health insurance, even with a preexisting condition. That’s the way it should be for absolutely everybody, and it’s not,” she says. “The Republican Congress is making it worse, but the Democrats can change that.”

Sitting down with PEOPLE, Louis-Dreyfus, 57, says that health care is “hugely important” to her specifically in light of her cancer diagnosis.

“It is not lost on me how dire my circumstances would be if I did not have really strong insurance through my union,” she says. “I can’t say it’s a club I ever really wanted to be a part of, but now that I am part of it, I’m delighted to help those who need help. I guess you could say that’s a huge silver lining to all of this horribleness — being able to help others who are in the same spot. And that is quite gratifying.”

  • For more on Julia Louis-Dreyfus, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on stands Friday

And the actress, who completed her treatment earlier this year and recently returned to work on the HBO comedy, says she’s “feeling well.”

“I am very grateful to my Veep crew — all of them, cast, writers, crew, everybody above and below the line — who have waited out this period of time,” she says. “But I’m feeling good and feeling quite ready and delighted to focus on funny things as opposed to things that aren’t quite so funny.”

To find out where and when you can volunteer, go to multiplyyourvote.org.