Dylan O’Brien plays a version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm season 11, episode 2, and the cameo incorporates elements of the actor’s real life. In the latest installment of Larry David’s long-running HBO comedy, several familiar faces are set to make appearances. Some of the actors who will be part of the currently airing season include Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, Bill Hader, Julie Bowen, Tracey Ullman, Kaley Cuoco, and Patton Oswalt.
O’Brien, best known for his portrayal of Stiles Stilinski on Teen Wolf and for leading the Maze Runner film franchise, was also revealed to be on the guestlist for Curb Your Enthusiasm season 11. The actor has returned to the big screen recently, starring in both the post-apocalyptic comedy Love and Monsters, in addition to the mind-bending thriller Flashback. His busy schedule is set to continue moving forward, with several upcoming films on his slate and a heavily-rumored appearance in the upcoming Teen Wolf movie. But the actor did find time to gently mock his public persona in episode 2 of Curb, titled “Angel Muffin.”
O’Brien’s name first comes up as a candidate to star as “Young Larry” in the project that Larry and his manager Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin) have going on at Netflix. The hope is that O’Brien, with his fanbase, would be good for the show. When Larry and Jeff go to see O’Brien in a concert with his band, named ‘Dylan O’Brien and The Entrails’, they aren’t too impressed with O’Brien’s performance. As he sings mournfully about peaches (in a cover of the 1990s song "Peaches") and plays the drums, Larry and David put on earmuffs to block the sound. When he notices this later on, O’Brien is understandably offended. And things only get worse once Larry declares that the concert “stunk.”
Still, Larry does want O’Brien as the lead of his Netflix comedy. So, he tries to make a second impression. Knowing that O’Brien is extremely fond of dogs, and has in fact created a restaurant where owners can eat alongside their pets, Larry stages a meetup between Dylan O'Brien and the Teen Wolf alum. Seeing that Larry has a cute dog with him, O’Brien reconsiders his initial stance and admits that he might have been too harsh in his initial response to Larry’s criticism. It seems like the two sides have worked out their differences. That lasts until the cute dog, which belongs to an acquaintance of Larry’s, runs into traffic. Larry doesn’t want to call the dog by its name of Angel Muffin, which he finds ridiculous, and so the poor pet gets hit by a car. Thankfully, it survives but sustains injuries. O’Brien, being the dog-lover that he is, wants nothing to do with Larry after witnessing the incident.
It’s a gentler cameo than Albert Brooks, who was revealed in the premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm season 11 to be a COVID-hoarder. It’s also a bit different than Lucy Liu’s turn from the same episode, as she lost interest in David after seeing him bump into a glass window. “Angel Muffin” does, nonetheless, poke a bit of fun at O’Brien. He’s seen as a sensitive artist-type that clashes with Larry’s brash personality. And, specifically, whether it was intended or a happy coincidence, O’Brien was part of the independent rock band “Slow Kids at Play” and he played the drums. The actor explained, humorously, in an interview with KiddNation on YouTube, how he found out he was replaced as the drummer via Snapchat.
It’s a shame that Love & Monsters' Dylan O’Brien couldn’t have worked things out with Larry, as he would have been a good fit to play a younger version of Seinfeld co-creator despite the lack of a strong physical resemblance. If nothing else, for an actor who got his start in more supernatural and sci-fi leaning movies and television shows, O’Brien has turned heads with his comedic moments. That made him a great fit for a self-effacing Curb Your Enthusiasm cameo.