David K. Israel
An interview with Jason Alexander
by David K. Israel - March 18, 2010 - 9:07 AM

Picture 2Jason Alexander is known to TV audiences around the world, of course, as George Costanza on Seinfeld, a role which garnered him six Emmy and four Golden Globe nominations, an American Television Award and two American Comedy Awards. He’s also appeared in numerous films like Pretty Woman, in TV commercials, and in Broadway musicals where he won a Tony for his role in Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. He also starred alongside Martin Short in the acclaimed L.A. production of The Producers. More recently, he’s been directing things like Sam Shepard’s God of Hell as well as his own newly-adapted rendition of Damn Yankees for the Los Angeles Reprise Theater Company, where he serves as Artistic Director. Jason is also a spokesman for OneVoice, an organization committed to promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Through his interest in giving back to the community, I had the good fortune of interviewing him after he spoke at a gala fund raising event for a charity I’m involved with. (You may recall our recent effort to eradicate hunger here in Los Angeles.) He was, as he always is, blunt and hilarious. Please feel free to drop a comment at the end of the interview telling us your all-time favorite Jason Alexander moment.

DI: You’re a man of many talents: actor, stand-up comedian, musical theater star, magician, poker player. Which do you enjoy the most?

JA: You left out: writer, director, martial artist and sex symbol. Now here’s my favorite – father.

DI: You’ve worked with some of the greats of stage and screen (big and small). From Jerry Robbins to Jerry Seinfeld, from Julia Louis-Dreyfus to Julia Roberts. Who’s been the most influential?

JA: Best director I’ve ever had – Joe Mantello (Love, Valor, Compassion); Best teacher –Larry Moss. The word genius gets thrown around a lot. I’ve only met two in my line of work –Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins. They think like no other people I know. I understand more from knowing them. I am a better person because of what they have given the world.

DI: The name on your birth certificate is Jay Scott Greenspan. Okay: we get Jason from Jay S but what about Alexander? Where’d that come from?

JA: Alexander the Great, clearly. Okay, I lied. I thought I would be Jason Scott, but when I went to register in the union with that name, it was taken with every possible spelling – including Jaisin Skot. Feeling badly about not using my family name, I made a snap decision to take my dad’s first name as my last one for the stage. Hence – Jason Alexander.

DI: If you could have lunch with anyone deceased, who would it be?

JA: Mahatma Gandhi. First, he was always fasting so I doubt it would be a big bill if I had to pick up the check. Second, I want to know how so much wisdom, courage and strength could reside in a single soul. If the Mahatma couldn’t make it, I’d take Ben Kingsley for an hour – but he’s not dead.

seinfeld-cast-getty-5203121DI: What’s your favorite beverage?

JA: Diet Coke. Never been a better beverage on the planet. They shouldn’t touch it – don’t mess with it. It’s perfect. I’m not losing weight, but I don’t blame the soda.

DI: What did you want to be when you were growing up?

JA: I wanted to be a magician. I worked at it very studiously. A few years ago, I started performing at the Magic Castle. I won an award given by fellow magicians. It meant almost as much as an Oscar. I assume… I don’t actually have an Oscar.

DI: Who’s your idol?

JA: I don’t believe in idols. Isn’t that the first commandment? But one of my heroes is TJ Leyden – a reformed neo-Nazi skinhead who has risked his life teaching young people the subversive, destructive power of hate and the redemptive and miraculous power of decency, education, responsibility and love. I have done the foreword for his book Skinhead Confessions: From Hate to Hope and I consider him a good friend. I also adore men like Daniel Lubetsky of the OneVoice organization who has dedicated his life to empowering moderate populations to take control of their own journeys to peace. He is a constant inspiration.

DI: Do you miss the days when you could hold an album jacket in your hands and page through the liner notes or are MP3s just as good?

JA: I don’t get nutty over packaging – only over content.

DI: What’s one of your favorite novels?

JA: I adore Richard Bach’s Illusions – The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. I read it every year on my birthday. It is a remarkable way to look at life. I’ve been trying to turn it into a stage musical for years. I must imagine it done sometime. (Read the book, you’ll understand.)

DI: What’s your favorite junk food?

JA: Double Stuf Oreos. Fantastic with Diet Coke.

DI: Dodgers or Angels? (Or should we ask: Yankees or Mets?)

JA: Honestly? I could care less. My uncle, Jack Simon, directed the Met, Knick and Ranger games while I was growing up. The Mets are in my blood. George worked for the Yankees, but Jason cheered for the Mets.

DI: Who’s your favorite Saturday Night Live player of all time?

JA: That’s hard because there have been so many great players and so diverse a range of comedy. But I have to say that I consistently laughed out loud over and over watching Billy Crystal. I thought he was brilliant. And when I hosted, Adam Sandler broke me up, live on the air.

DI: You were born in Newark, N.J. Many other notables hail from Newark, including Brian De Palma, Allen Ginsberg, Whitney Houston, Jerry Lewis, Shaquille O’Neal, Philip Roth, and Paul Simon. Is there something in the water there?

JA: I don’t remember much about Newark, but I can assure you the dominant beverage is not water.

Picture 3DI: Did you have a bar mitzvah? If so, what do you remember most?

JA: I was bar mitzvahed in a conservative–leaning to Orthodox temple. I had a mega bar mitzvah. A three-hour service that was about 2.5 hours of me. I remember we couldn’t have a band at the reception, so I sang with my friend, Brian Clark. And boy, did we make money!

DI: You’ve done lots of TV commercials for different types of products. Which is your favorite?

JA: I did a spot for Western Union that ran on and off for eight years. It will put my kid through college. I’d consider that a personal favorite.

DI: What memento did you take with you from the Seinfeld set?

JA: I’ve got lots of George clothes. I’ve got the George glasses. And I’ve got two final scripts signed by EVERYBODY! I’m not a big collector. Mostly, I have nine years of great memories and more laughs than I know what to do with.

DI: When you hear someone call out the name George, do you ever think they’re talking to you?

JA: I used to. But after I turned around all smug-like a few times to discover they were calling someone named George, I learned my lesson.

DI: Any guilty pleasure television on your TiVO?

JA: Nothing that’s total crap. It’s hard to make me laugh out loud. Family Guy does it every time. They’re genius.

DI: Anything you wish we’d have asked?

JA: When will they remake Fiddler on the Roof with me? I don’t know, but my mom is 88 – they better hurry.

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Comments (32)

  1. Say Vandalay!! Say Vandalay!!

    And I was going to make you my latex salesman.

    posted by bkreporter on 3-18-2010 at 9:27 am

  2. this is one of those subjects where if i saw it on any other site or magazine i wouldnt care less but because Mental Floss was presenting it to me, i just immediately assumed that it must be worth my time. of course i wasnt disappointed. great questions, great answers, much better than any of the bland base vanilla junk id find anywhere else

    posted by Randy on 3-18-2010 at 9:42 am

  3. Does anyone know the story behind that picture of Jason and Julia where he’s holding the phone up to the microphone?

    posted by Mike on 3-18-2010 at 9:50 am

  4. thanks Randy! we love digging up the _flossiest stuff for you guys!

    posted by David K. Israel on 3-18-2010 at 10:01 am

  5. Just wondering, but in Houston there is a restaurant called J. Alexander’s that my sister loves. Does he own that? Or does that restaurant belong to someone else and it just happens to be his name?

    posted by Chelsea G. on 3-18-2010 at 10:05 am

  6. A few years back (maybe early 2000′s) I believe Jason directed a movie called “Just Looking” that starred Gretchen Mol. Basically, it’s about growing up in the 1950s with a particular focus on a certain topic. It’s a bit of a quirky movie, but was really well done. I recommend it to anyone looking for some good laughs.

    A George divided against himself cannot stand!

    posted by JDtheDJ on 3-18-2010 at 10:12 am

  7. I think one of the strangest Jason Alexander moments was in Shallow Hal with Jack Black; he pulled his pants down in the back to show off his “vestigial tail”. That just gave me the creeps but none-the-less, what a great actor and all around nice guy.

    posted by Dan on 3-18-2010 at 10:18 am

  8. Ditto what Randy said.

    There are too many George moments to pick a favorite, but I will say that my wife and I used George’s warning word, when she was pregnant and needed to pee on the side of the road. “TIPPYTOE” was code for “car coming!”

    posted by Brian on 3-18-2010 at 10:19 am

  9. George was always my fave on Seinfeld. His freakouts were epic! And hilarious. I, too, love the Vandalay Industries episode. I also love the one where he gets stuck with J. Peterman and has to go with him to see his dying mother, whom he tells his secret ATM code to. “BOSCO! BOSCO!!!”

    posted by susan on 3-18-2010 at 10:29 am

  10. bkreporter, just reading your comment “Say Vandalay! Say Vandalay!” made me laugh out loud.
    And I agree with Randy: this is an interview that I’d only want to read on the Floss. Great piece. Thanks.

    posted by Rachel on 3-18-2010 at 10:30 am

  11. “I was in the pool!”

    Shrinkage. Poor George.

    posted by Cora on 3-18-2010 at 10:47 am

  12. My family has already worn out one VHS copy of “Cinderella” which had to be replaced immediately. ‘The Prince Is Giving A Ball’ makes any day sunny.

    posted by Lorne on 3-18-2010 at 10:53 am

  13. BOSCO I think was my fave George episode! “The Frogger” episode was a George classic as well!

    posted by Katie Rose on 3-18-2010 at 11:44 am

  14. My favorite George moment was one I was just talking to my fiance about last night. It’s the voice message George leaves on his answering machine.

    “Believe it or not, George, isn’t at home, please leave a mes-saaage at the beep. I must be out or I’d pick up the pho-one. Where could I be? Believe it or not, I’m not hooome”

    I love it and now I’ll have it stuck in my head the rest of the day.

    posted by Colene on 3-18-2010 at 11:46 am

  15. My favorite movie of all time is LOve, Valor and Compassion. Go rent it now, you won’t regret it.

    posted by dcfullest on 3-18-2010 at 11:48 am

  16. I forgot to add the episode where George gives the stained cashmere sweater to the office maid!!

    posted by Katie Rose on 3-18-2010 at 11:49 am

  17. “There are no rules here! It’s Thunderdome!”

    posted by Marty on 3-18-2010 at 11:55 am

  18. The best George Costanza moment was in the episode The Revenge…
    “Do you have anything to add George?”
    “Drink up!!!”

    posted by all Romeo on 3-18-2010 at 12:40 pm

  19. Colene – amen to that! Probably my favorite George moment as well. Wonder how many people know which 80′s TV show that tune was taken from?

    Hint: it rhymes with “The Latest Gamerican Zero”. :-)

    Another stupendous George scene is when everyone walks in on him as he’s getting his head rubbed with oil by the non-English speaking maid of the crotchety old guy Jerry was “helping”.

    posted by Old Man Tucker on 3-18-2010 at 12:54 pm

  20. Any way you could get us an interview from across the pond?

    I’d love to read one with STEPHEN FRY!

    In honor of the ‘new’ American version of WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?, I just sat at my computer and watched the BBC version focusing on him.

    posted by Amy on 3-18-2010 at 12:55 pm

  21. George likes spicy chicken!

    posted by Pearl on 3-18-2010 at 1:40 pm

  22. He’s right, you know. “Illusions” is one of the greatest books ever written.

    posted by loripop on 3-18-2010 at 1:56 pm

  23. My favorite Jason Alexander moment is actually well before he was a household name. I saw “The Rink” on Broadway in 1983 or 1984 and he was one of six roller-skate wearing chorus members. But he had one solo called “Marry Me” I think, which he sang to Chita Rivera (obviously playing older than himself, as he’s done most of his life), and it brought me to tears. Most people don’t realize that he’s a true song-and-dance man who got his start in Broadway musicals.

    There was also a TV version of “Bye Bye Birdie” in which he played the lead, and he was delightful!

    I hope he gets to play Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” — he’d be wonderful!

    posted by Lady G on 3-18-2010 at 3:16 pm

  24. I am so glad I read this. I never had feelings one way or another about Seinfeld (I know, I know!) but reading this really makes me regret that. I also like how he worked his faith into his humor and vice versa.

    posted by Helenann on 3-18-2010 at 3:19 pm

  25. judas…I had a new found respect for this guy. All the way up until he said (the writers at) Family Guy were genius. And AFTER he said the word Genius gets thrown around a lot!

    Really? Family Guy?! Really?!? Jason, I thought ‘cho was cool?

    posted by Max on 3-18-2010 at 3:26 pm

  26. Who remembers “Duckman”?

    posted by Phrank Loyed on 3-18-2010 at 3:49 pm

  27. Never watched Seinfeld other than brief glimpses while channel-surfing, and I thought this guy was a typical smarmy New Yawwwk artiste type. Then I saw him in a Brad Paisley video (“Online”) and I howled. I still howl every time I see it. My favorite actors are the ones who can have a laugh at themselves, and I’ve liked him immensely ever since.

    posted by Siobhan on 3-18-2010 at 6:18 pm

  28. There are so many great George Costanza moments that it’s unfair to pick just one! But I’m partial to any instance where Alexander got the chance to sing, even if he was underplaying his vocal talents as George: the voicemail message, annoying Elaine’s father with “Master of the House,” Costanza (sung to the tune of “Buy Mennen”). Lady G, I agree that he’s a talented song-and-dance man.

    I also loved George’s every interaction with Jason Hankey, James Spader’s character in “The Apology.”

    Max, I agree that the praise for Family Guy was a black mark. The rest of the interview was so great, I’ll give him a pass. But just this once!

    posted by sunny on 3-18-2010 at 7:19 pm

  29. He was in a made-for-TV musical version of A Christmas Carol about five years ago playing Marley to Kelsey Grammer’s Scrooge. It’s one of my favorite adaptations of the story. The man’s got pipes.

    And I don’t know about a favorite George moment, but I saw The Marine Biologist again a couple weeks ago and his story at the end had me in stitches.

    posted by Paul on 3-18-2010 at 10:31 pm

  30. That Newark question (and answer) made me laugh out loud… wonderful interview!

    posted by Mangesh on 3-18-2010 at 11:07 pm

  31. I don’t really have anything to add here, but I couldn’t get pass the ReCAPTCHA:

    clueless Senator

    posted by Prism on 3-19-2010 at 4:35 am

  32. The sea was angry that day, my friend. Like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.

    posted by JDtheDJ on 3-19-2010 at 11:28 am

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