Why Larry David Didn’t Star In Seinfeld

“Seinfeld” is arguably the greatest sitcom to ever air on network television, so it would follow that its core-four ensemble ranks as one of the most brilliant casts in the history of the form. Over its nine seasons, the “show about nothing” made us howl over such mundane experiences as waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant, trying to find your car in a parking garage, and ordering soup.

It’s impossible to conceive of a better version of “Seinfeld,” but fans of the series have likely wondered every now and then what might’ve happened had show co-creator Larry David opted to play George Costanza, the character based on his real-life friendship with the show’s titular star. Though David was a relative unknown to television viewers at the time, he’d performed on “Fridays” and “Saturday Night Live,” and was a seasoned stand-up comedian. Seinfeld had only acted in a handful of films and television projects (including the Danny DeVito-directed Showtime movie “The Ratings Game”), so why couldn’t David successfully make the leap to sitcom performer?

While David would eventually prove his worth and then some as an actor in his HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm, he remained on the periphery of “Seinfeld” (though he did give a memorable voiceover performance as New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner). So why didn’t David claim the part that he wrote as himself?

In a 2015 interview with The New York PostDavid offered a blunt assessment of his acting ability, quipping, “I was inspired to become a comedian because I was a bad actor.” If he wasn’t confident he could play himself opposite Seinfeld (who, it must be said, possesses a limited talent as an actor), it made sense to find someone who could convincingly convey his neuroses — and they couldn’t have found a better vessel for David’s nuttiness than Jason Alexander.

Alexander has always been full of praise for David, and, because we’ve seen how David plays a heightened version of himself on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” it’s fair to say that the David version of David might’ve clashed with, if not overwhelmed Seinfeld, Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards.

According to Seinfeld in a 2021 Pioneers of Television interviewDavid was more focused on the writing of the show (until he departed the series). “He (David) had a lot more ideas than I had about what we should do, and shouldn’t do,” said Seinfeld. “At that time he wasn’t really interested in acting.” In fact, per Seinfeld, the two never really discussed the possibility of David acting on the show.

So David simply didn’t have an interest in acting until he did, at which point he became a perennial nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Perhaps next he’ll wow us with his previously hidden talents as a jazz vibraphonist. Larry David contains multitudes.