David Alan Grier didn't think Seinfeld was funny when he auditioned for the role of George Costanza, reading with Jerry Seinfeld.
Key Points
The actor joked that he "fumbled" the bag while appearing on TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle
discussing what could have been in his acting career.Other actors who were considered for George included Danny DeVito and Chris Rock.
David Alan Grierprobably thoughtSeinfeldwas indeed a show about nothing.
During an appearance onTODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle, Grier told Jones and guest co-host Justin Sylvester about roles he passed on playing, including theperpetually insecure George Costanza.
Grier confirmed rumors that he passed on starring inAce Ventura, Pet Detective, a role that ultimately went toJim Carrey. "Ace Venturawas a script that was passed around. I think when they came to me, they said me andRob Schneider. And I passed on it, because it was a bad script."
The Tony Award winner said that Carrey saw an opportunity to have "total freedom" in the role. "He took that script and reinvented it. That's why it was so successful."
Sylvester then brought up how Grier "fumbled George Costanza." "You could have been onSeinfeld," he exclaimed. Grier confirmed that he did audition for the role, which ultimately went toJason Alexander. He read with the show's creator and starJerry Seinfeld, and recalled thinking, "this man can't act, it's not funny, this will never be a hit."
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"Well, wrong again!" Grier added. "The bag was fumbled, off I went."
This isn't the first time Grier has spoken about potentially being onSeinfeld. During a 2019 appearance onThe Howard Stern Show, he recalled reading lines with Seinfeld.
"I was like, 'This show is going to suck. This will never go," Grier said at the time, clarifying that he was never offered the role but had simply auditioned. After the show made it to air, he felt differently and regretted not getting the role.
"I was like, 'S---, I should've been better and why the f--- did I blow off that audition," Grier recalled. "It was like, 'So what?' Right over my head."
Alexander mentioned on a February episode of his and Peter Tilden's podcastReally? No, Really?that other actors he knew of who could've been George wereLarry Miller,Chris Rock,Danny DeVito,Paul Shaffer, andRosie O'Donnell.
In the same episode,Seinfeldiaauthor Jennifer Keishin Armstrong added that even thoughSteve Buscemiwas "so off the beaten path," he was also up for the part, which eventually earned Alexander seven Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nominations.
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