Seinfeld is regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time – but there were undeniably criticisms of the show during its run, and one concerned the performing skills of its titular lead. While Jerry Seinfeld was a talented writer and stand-up comedian, he didn't have any acting training, and particularly in the early years, it wasn't terribly hard to tell (it even became a running joke during the super meta Season 4 storyline).
Keep all that in mind as you read David Alan Grier's recent comments about auditioning for Seinfeld and being instantly convinced that the show was going to fail.
The actor currently has a great gig playing Dr. Ron Leonard on the NBC series St. Denis Medical, but he looked back on a couple of his early career mistakes during a recent visit to Today with Jenna & Sheinelle. In addition to admitting that he passed on Ace Ventura: Pet Detective because it was a "bad script," he recounted auditioning for the role of George Costanza on Seinfeld and his thoughts while doing a reading with the show's co-creator:
I auditioned for George Costanza. And I read with Jerry and it was like, [imitating Seinfeld] ‘George, tell me about your day.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, this man, he can’t act. It’s not funny. This will never be a hit. Well… wrong again! The bag was fumbled.
Grier didn't specifically say that he got an offer to play the part, but he certainly makes it sound like if he did, he would have passed.
For what it's worth, this probably worked out for the best. While David Alan Grier is a talented actor, I can't say I have ever seen him play the kind of lying, selfish, cowardly weasel that is George Costanza, and I don't know if those tools are in his toolbox. It's also just impossible to imagine anyone other than Jason Alexander playing that part, and his seven consecutive Emmy nominations from 1992 to 1998 are evidence of that (he was notably defeated by his co-star Michael Richards three times during that stretch)
David Alan Grier has never had a hit as big as Seinfeld during his career, but he has earned plenty of acclaim during his near half-century long run in film and television – up to and including his aforementioned role on St. Denis Medical. The sitcom, co-starring Allison Tolman, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Josh Lawson, Kahyun Kim, and Mekki Leeper, is currently in the midst of its second season and has already been renewed for a Season 3. If you haven't watched, you can catch up with smart use of a Peacock subscription, and doing so soon would be a smart play, as the final two episodes of Season 2 will air across the next two Mondays (March 30 and April 6) on NBC at 8/7c.
