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How The Deuce’s David Krumholtz Empowers Women On and Off Screen (Exclusive)

For David Krumholtz, to slip back in time, he simply has to slip out of style.

As 1970s porn director Harvey Wasserman on HBO’s The Deuce, “once I put on the polyester and the ’70s-era shoes that hurt my feet, I find my way into the character,” the actor, 40, exclusively tells Us Weekly. “The mustache helps, too.”

David Krumholtz
David Krumholtz Courtesy of David Krumholtz

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Come season 2, he’ll take on a new look — Krumholtz recently dropped more than 100 pounds! — and a new attitude. “I always imagine Harvey as someone who came from a good family with a brother that’s a doctor, a sister that’s a lawyer and somehow he ended up making porn and living with that shame,” admits the 10 Things I Hate About You alum. “But now, he not only accepts what he’s doing, but he also revels in it. He sees himself as a pioneer and, in a way, he is.”

David Krumholtz in The Deuce
David Krumholtz in The Deuce Paul Schiraldi Photography

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After all, his onscreen filmmaker is cultivating a movement. “We both know the power of a strong woman,” he says, noting that force is especially seen in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s prostitute Eileen. “Harvey appreciates that and wants to let her flourish.”

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Off screen, Krumholtz encourages that same sense of feminism at home with his 4-year-old daughter Pemma. (He and actress wife Vanessa Britting are also parents to son Jonas, 2.) Though she’s too young to view the drama about NYC’s sex industry, “I’d like her to watch one day,” he says. “The show has a lot to say about the female mind and perspective.”

The Deuce season 2 premieres on HBO Sunday, September 9, at 8 p.m. EST. 

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