There’s something in the recipe for Julia, HBO Max’s series about Julia Child and her transformative cooking show, that viewers are savoring like a warm meal straight from the kitchen. “People are having a very specific kind of reaction to it,” says David Hyde Pierce, who stars as Julia’s husband, Paul Child. “[They] feel embraced and comforted by it.” The role is both supportive but nuanced as Paul pours his all into giving Julia the chance to shine. Here, Pierce discusses portraying the man behind the star chef, played by Sarah Lancashire, the show’s window into his and Julia’s relationship, and where things stand right now with the Frasier reboot.