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Jason Alexander: 'Seinfeld' Killed Off Susan Because Actress Was "F—ing Impossible"

If you had trouble understanding why George (Jason Alexander) and Susan (Heidi Swedberg) stayed together on Seinfeld, you weren't the only one. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Alexander was a guest on Wednesday's Howard Stern Show and admitted that the show's writers decided to kill off Susan with poisonous envelopes because he and the rest of the cast did not enjoy sharing scenes with the actress who portrayed her.

"I couldn't figure out how to play off of her," Alexander said of Swedberg, who followed her 1997 departure from the celebrated NBC sitcom with roles on Roswell, Gilmore Girls and Bones. "Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring. And she would do something, and I would go, 'OK, I see what she's going to do — I'm going to adjust to her.' And I'd adjust, and then it would change."

Alexander said he wasn't happy when, three episodes into Swedberg's stint on the series, co-creator Larry David informed him that George and Susan would be getting hitched.

"What [David] said was, what Heidi brought to the character is, we could do the most horrible things to her, and the audience was still on my side," Alexander said, laughing.

Later on in the show's run, with producers still unsure of whether Susan and George would go through with the wedding or what her future would be, Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine) shared a number of scenes with Swedberg and finally understood what Alexander had been grousing about.

"They go, 'You know what? It's f—ing impossible. It's impossible'," said Alexander, who stressed that he had nothing against Swedberg personally. "And Julia actually said, 'Don't you want to just kill her?' And Larry went, 'Ka-bang!'" Just like that, the character's fate was sealed (so to speak).

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by Anonymousreply 166March 30, 2019 4:19 AM

OP = worse than Hitler and the series finale.

by Anonymousreply 1June 4, 2015 2:08 PM

r1 = thread nazi.

NO THREAD FOR YOU!

by Anonymousreply 2June 4, 2015 2:12 PM

That's actually pretty funny.

by Anonymousreply 3June 4, 2015 2:24 PM

So, so proud of myself -- never saw even one minute of that sow.

by Anonymousreply 4June 4, 2015 2:27 PM

How unprofessional of Alexander. But then, he's arguably no longer in the profession with how little he works.

by Anonymousreply 5June 4, 2015 2:33 PM

Something doesn't quite add up with his story or maybe he's just forgetting things--Susan was first introduced when they were trying to get their pilot off the ground in Season 4, they broke up, and his proposal came in Season 7 which started her second stint on the show. Was she hard to work with in Season 4? If so why bring her back?

by Anonymousreply 6June 4, 2015 2:37 PM

I loved Grace Zabriskie as Susan's mother.

by Anonymousreply 7June 4, 2015 2:37 PM

I read this yesterday and my reaction was similar to R5. I thought it was unprofessional of Alexander and unnecessary. I also don't get how he can go from saying that the actress was f-ing impossible and awful to work with and then say it was nothing personal.

I know his career is in the gutter, and I don't know what she's doing now, but something like that could impact her future work.

by Anonymousreply 8June 4, 2015 2:38 PM

And notice how Alexander is never specific about what she actually does/did that makes her so awful. Sounds like he's just got a personal grudge against her. I hope this backfires on him.

by Anonymousreply 9June 4, 2015 2:40 PM

Not to mention, even after killing her off, they brought her back for another episode--The Betrayal. She couldn't have been that awful

by Anonymousreply 10June 4, 2015 2:43 PM

I swear this was public knowledge back in 1996.

by Anonymousreply 11June 4, 2015 2:45 PM

But the whole idea of George having a wife was terrible to begin with. It would break up the dynamic of the show. George would need to spend more time at home with his wife and it would break up the original four. It's ok to have a boyfriend or girlfriend because the commitment is not as strong. They can do a few date scenes and push the character into the background. But a wife, she would either need to join the original four or George would have to become a lesser character.

by Anonymousreply 12June 4, 2015 3:25 PM

the show got funnier when she died.

by Anonymousreply 13June 4, 2015 3:27 PM

That's basically the worst thing you can do to a fellow actor. "We just don't 'click', I can't work with you." You FIND a way to work with them, that's your job. Jason deserves to get punched in the face, like Richard Gere did in Pretty Woman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KdOHC8ELwI

by Anonymousreply 14June 4, 2015 3:42 PM

Enjoy

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by Anonymousreply 15June 4, 2015 3:42 PM

Alex played a creep on Pretty Woman. Is he a character actor?

by Anonymousreply 16June 4, 2015 3:42 PM

R12, YOU'RE KILLING INDEPENDENT GEORGE!

by Anonymousreply 17June 4, 2015 3:51 PM

Sounds like she was doing her job. She's obviously the better actor.

by Anonymousreply 18June 4, 2015 3:55 PM

Remember when JA just started wearing a wig attachment for no reason? It was hair that stayed glued to your head (even for showers) then was replaced monthly. He just started wearing it around, saying he liked it. It wasn't even hair plugs. It was a long-term wig.

That's when I realized he was probably mentally ill.

by Anonymousreply 19June 4, 2015 3:56 PM

It must also be hard for the actress. By the time she joined the show, the four of them had already established their way of working. An actor coming into an ensemble has a steep learning curve.

by Anonymousreply 20June 4, 2015 3:57 PM

I thought she was perfect in the part. She really looked and acted like a wealthy WASPy girl who went to a Seven Sisters school, experimented with lesbianism and totally didn't fit into the world of losers Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine.

by Anonymousreply 21June 4, 2015 3:57 PM

I'm Team Heidi.

by Anonymousreply 22June 4, 2015 4:18 PM

[quote]I hope this backfires on him

You're an idiot.

by Anonymousreply 23June 4, 2015 4:22 PM

Did you even read the article? He didn't just decide he'd stop working with her. He adjusted his performance to hers then she changed her performance. You can't work with a scene partner who won't work with you.

by Anonymousreply 24June 4, 2015 4:23 PM

I've never cared for Jason Alexander or George. This seals it. Totally unnecessary to say this. Very unprofessional. Also, I've interviewed Heidi and sshe's very sweet, intelligent and professional.

by Anonymousreply 25June 4, 2015 4:26 PM

[quote]You're an idiot.

Really, R23? Because it sounds like most people are siding with her. Sounds like you're the idiot.

by Anonymousreply 26June 4, 2015 4:29 PM

The only idiot here, Jason at R23 is you.

by Anonymousreply 27June 4, 2015 4:33 PM

And why hasn't he worked more since Seinfeld?

Team Heidi.

by Anonymousreply 28June 4, 2015 4:40 PM

Totally unprofessional and borders on bullying---isn't he very wealthy from the show? The fired actress not so much.

by Anonymousreply 29June 4, 2015 4:41 PM

Interesting that he pretty much admits to being a bad actor. He anticipated what she was going to do and got frustrated when she made a choice that was unexpected. That is pretty much the definition of a bad actor- not being in the moment.

by Anonymousreply 30June 4, 2015 4:44 PM

He's obviosuly self-loathing and needs to stomp on others to feel better.

by Anonymousreply 31June 4, 2015 4:49 PM

I love how he puts it on Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which sounds like a Veep / Seinfeld episode. Elaine/Selina says it, and oops, she's dead.

by Anonymousreply 32June 4, 2015 4:53 PM

This is one of those stories that may as well been kept secret.

It's not interesting.

by Anonymousreply 33June 4, 2015 5:01 PM

I actually don't dislike Jason but I'm definitely on Heidi's side on this. What a awful thing to say publicly. Seriously, Jason?

by Anonymousreply 34June 4, 2015 5:03 PM

R14 Richard Gere didn't get punched in the face in PRETTY WOMAN; it was Jason Alexander's pervy character, Phillip, who tried to rape Vivian, and Ed came in and punched him out and threw his ass out.

by Anonymousreply 35June 4, 2015 5:07 PM

Team Heidi definitely. As good as Jason was as George, I've never much cared for Jason Alexander the man. Without exception when I've seen him as himself, he has always struck me as the living embodiment of the old John Lovitz character "The Master Thespian!". Pretentious and utterly full of himself. And this interview seems to again fall in with that.

In any event, Jason' story is suspect on its face. As someone already pointed out, if Heidi actually was so poor at her job, it makes little sense they would revive the cast-aside character of Susan and bring her back several years later for the engagement storyline. They could have written the romance with most any working actress of the time instead.

I do with they had let her lesbian storyline play out further but of course I understand the focus of show wasn't Susan.

by Anonymousreply 36June 4, 2015 5:09 PM

After much bad press from this, Alexander "apologizes" to Heidi Swedberg, or, at least back-tracks.

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by Anonymousreply 37June 4, 2015 5:09 PM

R33 is such a pissy little cunt.

Wipe so you don't dribble here. And do it back to front, so there are consequences.

by Anonymousreply 38June 4, 2015 5:12 PM

I meant backpedals at r37. Sorry.

by Anonymousreply 39June 4, 2015 5:12 PM

Just because most people are siding with Heidi, doesn't always mean the majority is right. He may not have been tactful, but I'm sure there is some truth to his comment. Some of these responses are ridiculous:

He's mentally ill

He's obviously self loathing

He deserves to get punched in the face

He's a borderline bully

Hoping this backfires on him. And then what? Have him blacklisted from Hollywood for saying a actress was hard to work with?

What a bunch of hens

by Anonymousreply 40June 4, 2015 5:19 PM

My question is if this were, in fact, true, why wouldn't he try and speak to Heidi about the issue. Isn't that what acting partners do with one another?

by Anonymousreply 41June 4, 2015 5:20 PM

[quote]He anticipated what she was going to do and got frustrated when she made a choice that was unexpected. That is pretty much the definition of a bad actor- not being in the moment.

Comedy doesn't work like that. Comedy is mathematic and mechanical. It's all well and good to experiment and improv early on in rehearsals. But once you find out what works, you set it and you drill it. That is why Lucy was so great. Lucy would have torn Heidi to shreds for making changes in the middle of a set routine.

by Anonymousreply 42June 4, 2015 5:20 PM

[quote] Lucy would have torn Heidi to shreds for making changes in the middle of a set routine.

Lucy Who?

by Anonymousreply 43June 4, 2015 5:45 PM

R35 I think you misunderstood. I think R14 meant Jason should be punched in the face like Richard Gere punched his character in Pretty Woman.

by Anonymousreply 44June 4, 2015 5:46 PM

R40 just stop.

by Anonymousreply 45June 4, 2015 5:47 PM

I disliked her character - something about her voice - so I'd probably dislike the actress too.

The "team Heidi" stuff is annoying.

by Anonymousreply 46June 4, 2015 5:49 PM

I've never forgiven Jason Alexander for ruining Reprise (the L.A. version of Encores.)

by Anonymousreply 47June 4, 2015 5:49 PM

Team Heidi!!!!

by Anonymousreply 48June 4, 2015 5:54 PM

That rambling backtrack semi-apology was lame.

by Anonymousreply 49June 4, 2015 5:56 PM

I didn't like the bad New Yawk accent she tried to do as Susan. An UES WASP wouldn't have an accent like that.

by Anonymousreply 50June 4, 2015 5:56 PM

I loved that episode where she didn't want Kramer at the wedding, because he couldn't remember her name.

And that's when they killed her off!

rofl

by Anonymousreply 51June 4, 2015 5:57 PM

[quote] disliked her character

I think that was the point of her character

by Anonymousreply 52June 4, 2015 5:59 PM

r20 nailed it.

Every actor will tell you its very difficult to come into a show when the primary actors have developed their own rhythm/culture.

by Anonymousreply 53June 4, 2015 5:59 PM

"Susan" had a pretty big storyline, with the introduction of her parents, and brother, and the cabin, and "John Cheever."

I remember thinking about how random it was that the guy who played Susan's father, was bisexual and had an affair with another man.

And they outed him in front of his entire family!

by Anonymousreply 54June 4, 2015 6:02 PM

"By the time she joined the show, the four of them had already established their way of working. An actor coming into an ensemble has a steep learning curve."

And the four of them would expect any other actor/actress to simply mold themselves to their way of working,

by Anonymousreply 55June 4, 2015 6:12 PM

[quote]Some of these responses are ridiculous: He's obviously self loathing

I wrote that R40, but I don't believe it. I just wanted to be the first to post a "self-loathing" in the thread. It's a DL favorite like WHET, cak, graxy, and the Hitler rant.

by Anonymousreply 56June 4, 2015 6:12 PM

Jason's fat ass always got in my way during The Rink. I told Liza one time, "If his fat ass doesn't get out of my way, I'm going to kick it. Finally, I had enough and I told Fred and John, 'I'm done. My contract was only for six months and I'm not renewing. Jason can get his own damn show and not ruin mine.'"

by Anonymousreply 57June 4, 2015 6:14 PM

I think she was spot-on: vague, clueless, passive-aggressive. And he couldn't stand the upstaging.

She had to be kinda 'ick' for that vicious plot turn to work.

by Anonymousreply 58June 4, 2015 6:17 PM

Bette Midler completely refuses to speak about her time on the show. Will. Not. Speak. Of. It!

by Anonymousreply 59June 4, 2015 6:23 PM

Team Susan. Killing off a character is too 70's.

by Anonymousreply 60June 4, 2015 6:24 PM

R59 how come?

by Anonymousreply 61June 4, 2015 6:29 PM

I thought "Susan" was one of the most memorable characters on the show, outside of the main four.

by Anonymousreply 62June 4, 2015 6:29 PM

r61, just a joke. No gossip on the subject.

by Anonymousreply 63June 4, 2015 6:32 PM

He should have kept his mouth shut

by Anonymousreply 64June 4, 2015 7:51 PM

Well until the new Datalounge came around, we weren't allowed to utter the title of Bette's musical here.

by Anonymousreply 65June 4, 2015 8:36 PM

I worked in community theatre with Heidi. An absolute doll! The stories I could tell about Mr. Seinfield and Baldy.

by Anonymousreply 66June 4, 2015 9:05 PM

R66 who's Baldy?

by Anonymousreply 67June 4, 2015 9:41 PM

Jason Alexander is pretty repulsive so watching his character dating anyone at all was not pleasant. My sympathy is with whoever had to act being interested in him.

by Anonymousreply 68June 4, 2015 9:43 PM

r66 spill.

by Anonymousreply 69June 4, 2015 10:20 PM

[quote] I worked in community theatre with Heidi.

She's doing community theatre now?!

by Anonymousreply 70June 4, 2015 10:30 PM

Oh for fuck's sake. Is this another Vaginas-uber-alles thing?

Look, the cast had great comedic timing and worked well together on that show. This Heidi girl's style didn't mix or flow well with the series stars. It's not up to them to conform themselves to her style, it's her job to conform herself to theirs. She got the boot and rightly so.

Alexander can easily say it's not personal because he probably has nothing against her as a human being. As an actress - she was impossible for him and for others on the show. Maybe comedy isn't her thing - it's not easy.

Get over it.

by Anonymousreply 71June 4, 2015 10:32 PM

It's rude. He's done nothing interesting in fifteen years. So he trashes a woman he worked with who continues to work. Fuck him.

by Anonymousreply 72June 4, 2015 10:36 PM

Although Jason Alexander shouldn't go around saying this, it is true that they just didn't work together. I know that Larry David loved their lack of chemistry because it emphasised how ill suited as a couple, but there was no "funny" chemistry there either. They weren't ill suited in a hilarious way like Elaine and Puddy or frenemies Jerry and Newman. Heidi and Alexander just didn't work in scenes together, it was actually grating to watch. I was so happy when they killed her off.

Still it's mean to bad mouth her, she's a working actress so she doesn't need this kind of exposure. Alexander is rich, it doesn't matter if he never works again but it would matter to her.

by Anonymousreply 73June 4, 2015 10:47 PM

Dear God, CNN has picked up this story.

by Anonymousreply 74June 4, 2015 11:13 PM

[quote] Oh for fuck's sake. Is this another Vaginas-uber-alles

????

Giving an opinion on an old television series = genital supremacy?

Where did THAT come from, Mommy? Errrr....I mesn, "OP?"

It was a rude thing to say about anyone on the air. We all talk trash about our coworkers past and present ----- but you don't do it to an audience of hundreds of thousands of people. It's unprofessional and in really bad taste.

The Susan character didn't fit at all into the show's core group. She wasn't supposed to. That was the best part of Seinfeld -- it was one of the only american sitcoms to deal with social discomfort.

Man hands, a two face you don't want to be seen with in public, a date whose name you can't remember, working with someone who walks like a robot, accidentally insulting a family elder in front of a roomful of people, double dipping, preferring to nod noncomitally at neighbors rather than getting to know them. We don't admire the characters. We dislike them and we squirm at their lack of finesse and social grace, but it's funny. It's funny how badly they mangle interpersonal relationships

Susan comes along and she and George find they're not a good fit, so they break up. Good. But George finds out Susan is in a lesbian relationship. His friends laugh at him. He turned her off men, that's how bad he was! George is determined to win her back, which we know is going to end in disaster. The disaster happens and he can't get out of it. George is usually in control -- scheming, lying, insulting, cheating. But for once, he's the one feeling the discomfort because he doesn't know how to safely get out of this relationship. The audience enjoys seeing weasely George trapped. Susan is clueless and thinks everything is fine and aboveboard.George doesn't know how to convey to her that this is, in fact, a huge disaster. Of his making. He can't confess because he pursued her with deviousness.

I think it was brilliant. The tables were turned on a main character. The relationship between George and Susan made us laugh because of the supreme discomfort we know George is feeling. There was a real sense of "WTF?" And who hasn't seen this in real life? Two people totally wrong for each other. We can see it a mile away, but one or both of the people in the relationship can't see it at all. It happens in real life with friends, relatives and coworkers and we laugh when they walk out of the room, but we also think, "Oh godddddddd, no!"

Both actors did a great job conveying all iof that to the audience. They made i us laugh and squirm, which is what Seinfeld was all about. A bunch of losers eternally messing up their lives.

So there was no reason for Alexander to have done what he did on Stern's show in front of a microphone. I actually think the actress's ability to confuse and annoy Alexander played a part in his ability to convey George's discomfort.

By telling tales out of school, he seems really George-like. We don't want him to be George Costanza in real life. Save that for the stage, not for live radio interviews. Especially since he and other cast members have done so very, very well financially while this actress had to leave the business because she couldn't make it. Don't gloat, Jason. As Maude Findlay would say, "God will get you for that."

by Anonymousreply 75June 4, 2015 11:13 PM

Im a Seinfeld fanatic,and I always enjoyed the "Susan and George" storyline immensely,and her parents were comedic gold. And when she died and he found out how wealthy she was and all he lost was hilarious ! I like Jason as George,but ive never liked him in anything else. Not once. I watched him one night on Bill Maher,and he came off as a bitter,snotty asshole so this sdoesnt surprise me in the least. That show made him wealthier than he could have hoped,youd think he'd mellow a little as he aged.

by Anonymousreply 76June 4, 2015 11:33 PM

Didn't "Seinfeld" have a director?

Isn't this what rehearsals are for?

by Anonymousreply 77June 4, 2015 11:56 PM

Very easy for JLD to suggest just killing off a character thus putting a fellow actor out of a job. JLD has her family billions she has never needed a job. Maybe this woman who played Susan really did.

by Anonymousreply 78June 4, 2015 11:57 PM

JLD must be mortified by this story. Makes her look like a shallow, selfish type like Elaine Benes.

by Anonymousreply 79June 5, 2015 12:19 AM

The Susan character was awful and was hurting the show. I was so glad when they did away with her. (Though as someone else mentioned, Grace Zabriskie was great as her mother.)

by Anonymousreply 80June 5, 2015 1:37 AM

Well he's apologised now. Good on him, some people wouldn't bother.

by Anonymousreply 81June 5, 2015 1:39 AM

My ex was friends with Heidi's husband Philip, and I met her a few times. She was really nice and had a great sense of humor.

by Anonymousreply 82June 5, 2015 2:10 AM

I always considered the Susan death episode "Seinfeld"'s jump the shark moment. I thought it was too mean-spirited, even for that show. It was Larry David's last show so it helps explain why the last two seasons were so uneven.

by Anonymousreply 83June 5, 2015 2:34 AM

That was well reasoned and helpful R75.

Good job.

by Anonymousreply 84June 5, 2015 2:44 AM

I agree R21. She was perfectly cast as Susan. I cannot imagine anyone else in that role.

by Anonymousreply 85June 5, 2015 3:00 AM

I sat behind him on a flight a few years ago. His very existence was annoying me. It was like he had to be "on" every time the flight attendant came by. It was annoying banter just so he could hear himself talk and was completely unnecessary. The flight attendant offered obligatory smiles and responses.

I don't remember if he reclined his seat or not.

by Anonymousreply 86June 5, 2015 3:34 AM

[quote]I don't remember if he reclined his seat or not.

I'm sure he did.

Probably stunk up the lavatory, as well.

The rat bastard.

by Anonymousreply 87June 5, 2015 3:48 AM

Thank you R75, I enjoyed reading that.

by Anonymousreply 88June 5, 2015 3:54 AM

Sort of surprised, only because Swedberg seemed perfectly fine in the role. And, she seemed fine in her scenes with George and others.

by Anonymousreply 89June 5, 2015 4:04 AM

Can't stand his smug, arrogant attitude, which comes across in interviews.

by Anonymousreply 90June 5, 2015 3:57 PM

He makes it sound like he's one of the great actors of his generation. Everything I've seen him in since Seinfeld seems to be another version of George. I think he was a lucky actor in a role of a lifetime .

by Anonymousreply 91June 5, 2015 4:07 PM

A few weeks ago he took credit for discovering Taylor Swift

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by Anonymousreply 92June 5, 2015 4:55 PM

He's a complete asshole.

by Anonymousreply 93June 5, 2015 5:15 PM

[quote]Probably stunk up the lavatory, as well.

How?

by Anonymousreply 94June 5, 2015 5:39 PM

R94: With too much cheap cologne, Rose.

by Anonymousreply 95June 5, 2015 5:40 PM

I thought that the first time George met Susan's family they weren't rich and she had a brother in a wheelchair.

by Anonymousreply 96June 5, 2015 5:53 PM

I can easily imagine any number of actresses in the Susan role. She wasn't funny, George's reactions to her were funny, her family was funny, but she wasn't funny. They also had no romantic chemistry, they weren't supposed to, but I'm sure there are a lot of actresses who don't have romantic chemistry with Jason Alexander.

When you watch reruns it interesting to see the girlfriends of the week. Most of them went on to bigger and better things. Holly didn't really go on to bigger things.

JLD and JA do come of as complete assholes in this though. Holly might have been difficult to work with, but there is no reason to talk about that in public or to anyone outside the show. This kind of thing can hurt her professionally and personally. It's not like she was a bitch, just not great at comedy and didn't click with the other actors. JA and JLD come off as mean girls.

by Anonymousreply 97June 5, 2015 5:53 PM

[quote]Holly might have been difficult to work with, but there is no reason to talk about that in public or to anyone outside the show.

My name is HEIDI, you asshole.

by Anonymousreply 98June 5, 2015 5:57 PM

[quote]JA and JLD come off as mean girls.

Do we actually know that JLD said the "kill" line. Or was JA putting words in her mouth?

by Anonymousreply 99June 5, 2015 5:58 PM

Has JLD weighed in yet on this controversy?

by Anonymousreply 100June 5, 2015 6:08 PM

She'll probably hope that silence will make it go away faster since she really doesn't want to come right out and tell the world that he's a liar.

by Anonymousreply 101June 5, 2015 6:12 PM

Julia Louis-Dreyfus can't be happy about this. I bet she blew up his phone.

by Anonymousreply 102June 5, 2015 6:13 PM

There goes JLD chances for a fourth consecutive Emmy win!

About time, though. We don't need another Candice Bergin/Helen Hunt retread.

by Anonymousreply 103June 5, 2015 6:17 PM

It sounds like JLD said something to Stern and then Stern brought it up to JA and JA was just trying to explain things and did so badly. That's his story anyway. Has Stern said anything?

by Anonymousreply 104June 5, 2015 6:18 PM

I knew from the minute George proposed that his engagement to Susan wouldn't last. I think everybody did, I had no idea they'd draw it out for an entire season but I thought it worked. We just kept waiting to see how it would end. I did feel it was a rather heartless way to get rid of her, and George's phone call to Marisa Tomei in the episode tag was even worse.

I thought their relationship was perfectly messed up. I especially loved George's obsession with Susan's doll who looked like his mother.

by Anonymousreply 105June 5, 2015 6:20 PM

[quote]There goes JLD chances for a fourth consecutive Emmy win!

Good, maybe now Lisa Kudrow can win for the second season of "The Comeback" like her character does on the show.

by Anonymousreply 106June 5, 2015 6:21 PM

I don't get it; they weren't supposed to have chemistry. That's what made it work.

Imagine if they'd stayed together...that actress would have made millions.

It's all about money. Those four have plenty.

by Anonymousreply 107June 5, 2015 6:33 PM

R107 they weren't supposed to have sexual or romantic chemistry, they could have had comedic chemistry. Jerry and Newman hated each other, but the actors had good comedic chemistry. I think JA was talking about the experience of doing those scenes, not what the audience saw. It was apparently always a struggle for the actors , the show runner was getting what he wanted, a more sympathetic George.

by Anonymousreply 108June 5, 2015 6:51 PM

[quote]Bette Midler completely refuses to speak about her time on the show. Will. Not. Speak. Of. It!

Probably just as well, as most of her costars come to hate her.

by Anonymousreply 109June 5, 2015 6:51 PM

JA isn't bright enough to see the tension that was created is what gave it an odd, funny tone. Not schticky, wacky sitcom humor - more like Mike Nichols, domestic horror abstract humor. He's not the director. And he's overpaid.

by Anonymousreply 110June 5, 2015 7:05 PM

Well, first he says that he, JLD and the others hated the actress because she was "F-ing impossible," then he says the actress was great and that she would have complied with any request to alter her performance. So, doesn't sound like the actress was impossible. Second, if it's how she played the character that bothered them, let's see, she wasn't supposed to fit into the group, she was supposed to be irritating, she wasn't supposed to have chemistry with George, and the audience was supposed to hate her... sounds like she did exactly what she was supposed to do, doesn't it?

by Anonymousreply 111June 5, 2015 7:05 PM

I'm sure Swedberg did as she was told. The first season she was in (Season 4) was when the show was becoming a hit and by the time she came back in Season 7, it was huge. I'm sure she suspected that the role wouldn't be forever.

by Anonymousreply 112June 5, 2015 7:21 PM

R111 JA says Heidi's comic timing and his comic timing didn't work. In fact her comic timing didn't work with anyone, which is why the others found acting with her difficult. JA said Heidi, as a person, is lovely and was willing to do whatever was needed but it just didn't work. And frankly you can see that their timing was off when you watch it. I hate watching the susan/george scenes because of it. They were unlike Elaine and Puddy who were comedically hilarious together despite the fact that they were also a terrible couple.

by Anonymousreply 113June 6, 2015 3:49 AM

R113 yeah, but while you didn't enjoy it, it worked. That was what the writers wanted with the Susan character. Someone who didn't fit in with the others and who didn't mesh well with George. They weren't supposed to be together. They weren't supposed to have chemistry. It was supposed to be awkward and uncomfortable and off. She did her job.

by Anonymousreply 114June 6, 2015 4:11 AM

I also liked the Susan/George pairing. Especially when she called him schmoopy. He cringed. I guess it was real.

I looked up Heidi and she is currently a ukulele teacher. She looks very happy with what I guess would have to be a passion. Her twitter account has been silent since May 20. She doesn't seem like the kind who would involve herself in a tweet smackdown.

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by Anonymousreply 115June 6, 2015 4:24 AM

She didn't do her job if she made it difficult for others to work with her. I can't believe you idiots who think she should have been able to keep her job because she's nice and makes less money. She needed to enhance the leafs not make their job harder.

by Anonymousreply 116June 6, 2015 4:26 AM

I'm not sure why so many people feel sorry for her. This is the most attention the woman has gotten in years. It will probably lead to some work.

by Anonymousreply 117June 6, 2015 4:43 AM

I've met him a couple of times and he came off like a douche. He pretended to be nice but you could tell it was an act. Ego for days.

by Anonymousreply 118June 6, 2015 5:41 AM

We'll have to agree to disagree R114. I don't think Heidi worked in any scene she was in, whether she was with JA or with others. Susan parents hated each other, not only that but Susan's dad was in the closet, and yet they worked brilliantly in scenes together. Their contempt for each other, their dysfunction, their joint hatred of George worked brilliantly. Jerry and Newman loathed one another and Jerry hated Bania and yet it resulted in magic (or as Bania would say "gold jerry gold").

Personally I don't think that comedically Heidi worked. She actually managed to be more annoying than George, even though Susan was meant to be too good for him, too ambitious, better educated, less shallow, more normal. Maybe Heidi was meant to be a "serious" actress because she never seemed to get the rhythm of that show. Of course it's subjective but that's how i saw it.

I still don't think JA should have said anything however. That was rude.

by Anonymousreply 119June 6, 2015 6:54 AM

"That went well, dont you think?"

Yes JA ego for days. This was certainly one way for him to get his name back in the paper just in time for his replacing Larry David on Broadway. My bet is this was carefully calculated by Alexander for his appearance on Stern. Ick, what a creepy man. Still love JLD though.

by Anonymousreply 120June 6, 2015 7:11 AM

[quote]She didn't do her job if she made it difficult for others to work with her. I can't believe you idiots

You're obviously the idiot who can't read.

by Anonymousreply 121June 6, 2015 4:58 PM

Actually, she didn't make it difficult for others to work with her. JA even admits it was his fault for not saying anything to her because if he had, she would have been more than willing to change the way she was doing things.

by Anonymousreply 122June 6, 2015 5:02 PM

[quote] She actually managed to be more annoying than George.

I believe that was the point.

by Anonymousreply 123June 6, 2015 5:03 PM

[quote]She needed to enhance the leafs

You fuckin' potheads are all alike.

by Anonymousreply 124June 6, 2015 5:58 PM

Still starving here.

by Anonymousreply 125June 6, 2015 9:58 PM

Alexander's post-Seinfeld career has been lackluster. Only Michael Richards and his career-killing racist rant has done worse.

That he's even still talking about a forgotten '90s sitcom is sad. Like Carol Burnett always talking about "the show" no one remembers.

by Anonymousreply 126June 7, 2015 6:31 PM

I have a friend who's a folksinger.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 127June 7, 2015 6:51 PM

I will assume most of you are not actors and don't get this -- but I just shot a big TV show with an actress last week (nobody famous) and, for whatever reason, everything we had worked out together in rehearsal went out the window the minute we got on set. And then you can feel the Subtext of "I'm a big bad man telling poor little woman what to do". So you adjust to the new stuff/missed cues/whatever, sure, in my case turning my attention more on the male star we were acting opposite -- but the scene suffers. All over something that has nothing to do with the work.

What Alexander is saying but can't really say is "Let me work with men any day of the week, especially in this business." I agree. Fucking actresses.

by Anonymousreply 128June 7, 2015 8:06 PM

R128 you sound like a horrible "actor." The other extras must hate you.

by Anonymousreply 129June 7, 2015 9:24 PM

Yeah, you wish, Cunt R129. I'm nobody's fucking extra and I got the resume to prove it. Go fuck yourself, civilian.

by Anonymousreply 130June 7, 2015 9:38 PM

haha. Right, pathetic one at R130. You're nothing more than an extra. You have the resume to prove it? Right. Do that then. Meanwhile, I have 4 Academy Awards that prove I'm more famous than you could ever dream to be!!!

P.S. You still sound like a horrible extra.

by Anonymousreply 131June 7, 2015 9:42 PM

So many cunts, so little time. I'll be in my trailer, you sad piece of shit.

by Anonymousreply 132June 7, 2015 9:46 PM

She always seemed like she suffered from Paltrow-GOOP complex.

by Anonymousreply 133June 7, 2015 9:58 PM

"No" isn't a word young, pretty women are used to hearing. They build delusions of "Femme power!" grandiosity because horny men are always telling them they're brilliant, even though horny men say lots of silly things.

by Anonymousreply 134June 7, 2015 10:00 PM

[quote]I'll be in my trailer, you sad piece of shit.

The one in the trailer park no doubt!

But keep dreaming big, R132! Maybe one of these days you'll work your way up to a bit part!

by Anonymousreply 135June 7, 2015 10:02 PM

I believe you, R132 .

by Anonymousreply 136June 7, 2015 10:04 PM

R128 that Heidi wasn't much of an actress but there are certainly just as many awful male actors as there are actresses. There were a lot of really funny actresses who guest starred on Seinfeld. In fact, in the early days, more male actors than actresses were let go from Seinfeld for not having the right timing/chemistry. All the women who played the main casts mothers were brilliant. JLD was great as Elaine, her growing bitterness and disenchantment with her life and her friends was comedy gold. And in terms of being difficult both Michael Richards and Jason Alexander admit that they had more of those moments the JLD ever did. JA wasn't saying he only wanted to work with men, he was just saying that he would have preferred any number of actresses to become George's long term girlfriend since he felt that his method and Heidi's method didn't work together. Just like you and this current actress. It's not all actresses, it's just poor chemistry between actors. Look at Matthew Perry in the Odd Couple at the moment. His timing is so off he's unwatchable. If this was the first thing I'd ever seen him in I'd swear he couldn't act.

by Anonymousreply 137June 7, 2015 10:31 PM

I remember the year that Jason Alexander was a presenter at the Oscars. When he came on stage, he began by complaining that he was following the "In Memoriam" segment.... "Yeah, they put me on after the dead people."

I thought then that he was a jerk and totally classless.

This story simply confirms that opinion.

by Anonymousreply 138June 8, 2015 3:57 PM

Four Academy Awards! R131, please list them. You must be the biggest star since Mickey Rooney.

by Anonymousreply 139June 8, 2015 4:16 PM

When he would guest on talk shows he would always say douche stuff. He can't stop.

by Anonymousreply 140June 8, 2015 4:23 PM

R139 is truly too stupid to even understand how stupid he is.

by Anonymousreply 141June 8, 2015 6:37 PM

Sarcasm is completely lost on R139.

by Anonymousreply 142June 8, 2015 6:41 PM

"Stuff your sorries in a sack, mister"

Team Heidi!!!

by Anonymousreply 143June 8, 2015 6:44 PM

Does anyone know if he was asked about this most recent controversy at the Tony Awards last night (he and Larry David co-presented the final award.)

by Anonymousreply 144June 8, 2015 6:49 PM

R144 no he didn't mention it. It was all schtik with Larry David about David not being nominated.

by Anonymousreply 145June 8, 2015 7:20 PM

R145 I know he didn't mention it during the ceremony (duh!)-- I wanted to know if he got asked about it pre- or post-show.

by Anonymousreply 146June 8, 2015 8:12 PM

[quote] I like Jason as George,but i've never liked him in anything else. Not once. I watched him one night on Bill Maher,and he came off as a bitter,snotty asshole so this doesnt surprise me in the least. That show made him wealthier than he could have hoped,you'd think he'd mellow a little as he aged.

He's a piece of shit. I never cared for Seinfeld, Jason Alexander or the guy who played Kramer. Their personalities are awful.

by Anonymousreply 147June 8, 2015 8:35 PM

JA had good chemistry with JLD, the actress who played his mother and most of the guest actresses. JLD didn't have good chemistry with Heidi either. This isn't a male female thing. Heidi isn't funny and she wasn't a great straight man for this show. The writers did a good job of working around her and using the awkwardness.

It was rude of JA to talk about on Stern. He should have picked much more neutral language if he had to say anything.

by Anonymousreply 148June 8, 2015 8:49 PM

Instead of speculating and assuming, did any of you nellies actually hear Jason Alexander on Stern?

First, he was very funny. Second, I though that given the awkwardness of Stern's question,, JA was actually quite gracious and sweet about Heidi. He was more awkward in talking about it, and wasn't as mean as presented on DL. He also said that it was his bad not to say anything to her then, but at the time he felt it wasn't cool for an actor to tell another actor how to play a role.

But as the jumping to conclusions that this thread proves, he probably would have been wiser not to say anything.

by Anonymousreply 149June 8, 2015 10:04 PM

Don't worry, R139, the cunts are out in force and vicious but they're STILL in the minority on DL. Hopefully they won't scare away the ones with real inside info like Costumer -- or me with some 30 years of experience (see all that "Steel Magnolias" gossip I always post). Fuck 'em and smile as you have fun.

by Anonymousreply 150June 8, 2015 11:37 PM

I just want to say that Veep is the most annoyingly unfunny show on television. I wish JLD would just take her money, go home and stay off tv.

by Anonymousreply 151June 8, 2015 11:58 PM

Jerry Seinfeld has got to be a major jerk, look what he married. I do enjoy Seinfeld but have a feeling the main cast are not the most pleasant people IRL

by Anonymousreply 152June 9, 2015 12:00 AM

R152 their SEINFELD characters weren't pleasant, either.

by Anonymousreply 153June 9, 2015 2:35 AM

[quote]First, he was very funny.

r149 Having seen and heard Jason Alexander in multiple fora over the years, this cannot possibly be true.

by Anonymousreply 154June 9, 2015 2:47 AM

I'm a Seinfeld junkie and I used to like George ,

No more. He gets lucky and lands a spot on the show and is fucking swimming in money. He is so fucked up and ungrateful he decides to turn on the Susan character,

She was great in the show , these asshole seinfeldians were jealous that she wasn't exactly like they were (the delicate geniuses)

by Anonymousreply 155June 9, 2015 9:34 AM

The shows haven't aged well. Seinfeld just wanders around phoning it in, while the others mug and emote.

by Anonymousreply 156June 9, 2015 9:43 AM

[quote]or me with some 30 years of experience (see all that "Steel Magnolias" gossip I always post).

Wow, 30 years as an extra? I take it back. You're never going to be a star!

by Anonymousreply 157June 9, 2015 1:04 PM

Apparently R150 the only thing "30 years of experience" gets you is the inability to not post without using, "cunt," at least once!

by Anonymousreply 158June 9, 2015 1:08 PM

He could have handled the situation better.

by Anonymousreply 159March 30, 2019 2:25 AM

I'm laughing that you bumped this thread because you felt it important to say that, R159.

by Anonymousreply 160March 30, 2019 2:43 AM

I just felt it needed to be said.

by Anonymousreply 161March 30, 2019 3:02 AM

Thanks for bumping this thread, actually. I never heard about the actors having a problem with the actress who played Susan. As usual, she was too good-looking for George (in real life terms). All of the women that the guys (Jerry, George, and Kramer) dated were too good-looking for them.

by Anonymousreply 162March 30, 2019 3:06 AM

How did you even FIND this thread to bump it? Search is USELESS.

by Anonymousreply 163March 30, 2019 3:26 AM

[Quote] All of the women that the guys (Jerry, George, and Kramer) dated were too good-looking for them.

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by Anonymousreply 164March 30, 2019 3:29 AM

I wanted to know what DLers thought of Jason and this thread popped up in a search.

by Anonymousreply 165March 30, 2019 3:53 AM

𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒅𝒊, she was terrific. However the article shows Jason is bad at breakups.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 166March 30, 2019 4:19 AM
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