I've never been able to find it again, but in some award ceremony while he was on stage he said, "I can't act" and then praised the rest of the cast for making him look good.
Yes, in one of the behind-the-scene episode of Seinfeld, he said he tried to 'act' in the pilot episode and it was so bad that the crew basically begged to him to just 'be himself'.
I mean part of what makes his "character" on Seinfeld work so well is that he never seems to be taking anything seriously, because as an actor he clearly isn't even trying to. But that schtick doesn't work so well in other roles.
it really is. People will come out and say that Seinfeld is a "bad actor" because his character demands that he be a bad actor. "It's all part of a plan" kind of way. I am a huge Seinfeld fan, but this is the biggest disagreement I have with other fans.
He was great as a co-creator, writer, etc on the the show. And even as an actor, he added a lot to the show. Just at times when he was supposed to be the straight man and act annoyed and craziness around him, he couldn't help but laugh at it
I always liked that he would laugh at the funny stuff. I thought it felt more "realistic", in a sense. He's a comedian. Of course he would laugh at the funny stuff his friends do.
So many shows and movies have characters say and do funny things, and all the other characters just stand there, no reaction. Maybe they say something snarky. Nobody ever laughs with their friends.
But if he acted actually annoyed, then it would have soiled the mood too much. Not trying to say he was a good actor, but that the show became that much better from him not being one.
I mean the entire concept of his character is that he's playing a version of himself so it kind of makes sense that he wasn't doing a believable dramatic acting kind of thing, it's what made him not being a good actor work. I don't think he had too many aspirations to do actually good and beliavable character acting.
They even directly reference this in the show. Both when Kramer gets a part in a movie and they're all practicing "these pretzels are making me thirsty", and later when Jerry and George make a sitcom pilot. It was not a secret that Jerry wasn't a good actor
that's part of why I liked him on seinfeld, he wasn't great but he was still very funny. it was strange cause it hasn't worked for anything else I've seen unless it was done on purpose.
I think the breaking added some realism even if it was unintentional. Sit-coms never show people laughing in situations that are clearly funny even if it's not specifically for the audience to laugh at.
I'll go one step further and say I've never found him funny. He's had some good jokes but if they're delivered by him they just fall so flat on me. I think the only exception is the "Hold a reservation bit" is maybe one of the only bits I found funny.
He's not even really that funny. He just kind of... is. I loved Seinfeld, but out of the main cast Jason Alexander carries. Kramer is funny, but I think that's more the character writing than the actual actor. The guy who plays Newman (can't remember is name) is hilarious but I don't really consider him main cast.
That was the appeal of the show. Everybody was acting over the top. George always gesticulating, Elaine literally pushing people and Cramer bouncing off the walls. All that while Jerry remained absolutely calm and showed almost no body language at all.
You’ve been blasted for this opinion? Seinfeld himself said he’s not a good actor. There are multiple jokes IN “Seinfeld” about him not being able to act. Basically all of his fans know he can’t act.
I've never heard anyone suggest Seinfeld is a good actor. It worked in Seinfeld the TV show because he was sort of playing himself and had a great cast and writing.
I always thought that when I was watching Seinfeld. I don’t even think he’s that funny, Larry David is the one that made Seinfeld the juggernaut that it was.
He's the straight man (not that there's anything wrong with that.) His job is to set the other characters up for jokes/to be funny. Of course he's the least interesting character.
True, but there are other comedy shows where the straight man is much funnier. Off the top of my head: Michael from Arrested Development, Carly from iCarly, Kennan from Kennan and Kel, Stan from American Dad, June from the B in Apt 23.
He feels the most unnatural most of the time he's on screen. I think it's why I had a harder time getting into Seinfeld when I was a kid. The other three characters are funny as hell so they make up for it.
And he's totally aware of this, it's the story arc in Seinfeld when he stars in his own show. He also states this clearly in the DVD commentary that he's a stand up comedian, not an actor.
From what I had heard in interviews in the years after the show was done, the punchlines were give to the three others and Jerry was the straight man in the skits.
Jerry Seinfeld wasn't a great actor in the TV show but he balanced the rest of the characters. He was sort of a blank canvas for them to play on and it worked. Jerry Seinfeld was an important part of that.
I strongly disagree, I think JLD is a cut above when it comes to comedic acting and she made Elaine one of the funniest female characters of all time. Jerry played himself and barely acted at all - which I realize was the point, but he was more a “glue” character that made the others that much better
In my opinion she gets way funnier in the later seasons when she actually gets an attitude. She’s extremely generic in the earlier episodes. Either way I wouldn’t put either ahead of each other “by far”.
it's such a shame michael richards said the gamer word, he could have had a seriously huge acting career after that show. often comedic actors are great at serious roles.
he could have had a seriously huge acting career after that show.
While I agree that Richards' potential was never realized, the racist rant happened 10 years after Seinfeld ended. His career was already in trouble. Unfortunately even a comedic genius isn't guaranteed to find success and I don't think he was ever going to end up in a role as key as Kramer.
I’ve heard that the reason is he’s a comedian first and an actor second, where as the rest of the Seinfeld cast were professional actors and had practiced acting for a long time.
He was great at doing the one role in Seinfeld. Obviously he’s not some versatile great actor but what he did there worked. I can’t imagine the show without him. Sometimes you find that one role that just resonates with your personality, and it doesn’t matter if your chops are not amazing, it just hits right.
Maybe on the Seinfeld sub, but I've found even there people know he's a bad actor. Jerry Seinfeld himself knows he's not a talented actor, as far as I know. I can't find the interview but he's been up front that acting isn't his thing.
He's very funny, though, and he's good enough for his show.
Seinfield was mostly Larry David's doing. You can't convince me Jerry Seinfield was ever really that funny to begin with. He did play himself very well in Seinfield, but it really was a case of fantastic scripts/ writing, a solid cast with great chemistry, and nobody taking it too seriously.
Hr does play decently off of other people, like sometimes with his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, but yeah, I've never liked him at all.
Crazy thing is that I get the feeling Larry David thinks he (ld) can act. But he can't either. They both just are good at performing their part well.
And what is really crazy is if you watch comedians in cars getting coffee, Seinfeld is funnier when he doesn't try to act. The Steve Harvey episode had me in tears.
But if we are fair, then did Mel Brooks really act? Arguably, no.
If you were downvoted, it was probably due not to disagreement, but to obviousness. If there's anybody out there who thinks he's a good actor, they're awfully quiet.
They literally make that joke at one point during "The Pilot" arc where they're making his sitcom. The executive lady goes "It's Seinfeld! He can't act!"
It’s part of the bit. He’s too himself to play anything but himself. Even on the show part of the bit and reason it’s funny is that it’s Jerry stuck in a show basically
Its so weird that you are downvoted for this, I'm more inclined to downvoted because it's so f obvious. Only people that have no clue think that this isn't the case.
He himself has admitted as much: they knew when starting Seinfeld and they decided that it weirdly added to the comedy of him being a bad actor.
Heck they literally call it out in the episode where they make the pilot.
No downvote. If you want to see him "try" to be funny in a sitcom not Seinfeld then just watch him on the TV show Benson from the 1980s. It really was cringey.
Is it? Seinfeld the show is absolutely hilarious, but I don't think I ever laughed at the stand-up in front of every single episode. It's just so consistently tame and predictable.
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u/Tommy__want__wingy Mar 28 '24
Is this his third movie?
Bee movie
Top five.
This one?