WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.919 We all know the posture. You know, the high -pitched 00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:05.419 whining, the sort of high -anxiety, low -self 00:00:05.419 --> 00:00:08.099 -esteem thing. That guy who cooked up those elaborate 00:00:08.099 --> 00:00:10.800 lies. Yeah, George Costanza. Exactly. George 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:13.400 Costanza. He basically defined a whole generation 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:17.059 of sitcom neuroses. He really did. That character 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:20.359 is just so globally famous, isn't he? Instantly 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:22.640 recognizable. You see the slumping shoulders, 00:00:22.859 --> 00:00:26.300 the kind of aggressive ineptitude. A sheer commitment 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:29.000 to failure. Right. It's like... For most people, 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:31.300 Jason Alexander is George Costanza. He's just 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:34.100 locked into our cultural DNA that way. But here's 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:36.020 the thing, and this is why we're doing this deep 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:39.479 dive. If that's all you know, you're missing 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:42.960 out on one of the most, well, remarkable professional 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:45.380 transformations in modern entertainment. Totally. 00:00:45.539 --> 00:00:47.020 What if we told you the man behind that infamous 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:50.439 Lysmith is actually a Tony Award winning musical 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:52.679 theater star. And an acclaimed director. And 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:55.579 a professional award winning magician. Specializes 00:00:55.579 --> 00:00:57.820 in mentalism, no less. Which is amazing. And 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:00.859 also a really fervent, dedicated political advocate, 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:03.719 a charitable advocate to raising like hundreds 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:06.180 of thousands for different causes. Things like 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:09.219 disaster relief, scleroderma research. Yeah. 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:11.400 It's incredible. The gap between the fictional 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:13.900 George and the actual Jason Alexander is just 00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:16.900 it's vast. It really is. It's maybe the ultimate 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:19.120 case of an actor's talent, you know, completely 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:21.560 overshadowing who they actually are in real life. 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:24.959 So today. We're diving deep. We've got this extraordinary 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:28.379 stack of sources detailing the full life, the 00:01:28.379 --> 00:01:31.280 full work of Jason Alexander. And our mission 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:34.079 really is to kind of excavate the truth beneath 00:01:34.079 --> 00:01:37.480 that huge Seinfeld surface. Explore the surprising 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:40.280 depth, the breadth of his career. And we have 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:42.359 to start right at the beginning. Yeah. With his 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:44.579 origin story. Because the sources immediately 00:01:44.579 --> 00:01:47.040 tell us something fundamental. Jason Alexander 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:49.579 isn't actually his birth name. Right. He was 00:01:49.579 --> 00:01:51.939 born J. Scott Greenspan. J. Scott Greenspan. 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:53.879 And that stage name Alexander, it's actually 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:56.560 a really lovely kind of subtle tribute. The sources 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:59.219 explain he took Alexander from his father's first 00:01:59.219 --> 00:02:01.879 name, Alexander B. Greenspan. Oh, wow. Yeah. 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.500 So even as he was kind of adopting this, you 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:07.099 know, theatrical illusion of a stage name, he 00:02:07.099 --> 00:02:08.900 was showing this deep connection to his family. 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:11.159 It's like J. Scott, son of Alexander. That's 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:13.719 really nice. OK, so let's unpack this incredible 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:17.840 journey. And we have to start with the career 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:20.699 that, well, almost made him disappear. Literally. 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:24.900 Yeah. Magic. Right. So J. Scott Greenspan, born 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:27.960 in Newark, New Jersey in 1959, grew up in Maplewood 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:31.000 and Livingston. And crucially, his first big 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:33.879 professional dream had absolutely nothing to 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:35.939 do with standing on a stage delivering lines. 00:02:36.509 --> 00:02:39.210 Or even comedy. No, the sources are clear. He 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:41.090 was absolutely obsessed with becoming a professional 00:02:41.090 --> 00:02:43.650 magician, like from childhood. Yeah. Just devouring 00:02:43.650 --> 00:02:46.270 books on illusion, going to magic camps. It wasn't 00:02:46.270 --> 00:02:49.569 just a phase. It was like his North Star. But 00:02:49.569 --> 00:02:51.729 then comes this amazing turning point, a moment 00:02:51.729 --> 00:02:54.150 where his whole professional life just pivots. 00:02:54.229 --> 00:02:56.889 Yeah. And it's based on this single, really brutally 00:02:56.889 --> 00:02:59.389 honest piece of feedback about, well, his physique. 00:02:59.590 --> 00:03:01.889 Yeah. He's at magic camp, right? And an instructor 00:03:01.889 --> 00:03:04.169 tells young J. Scott Greenspan that his hands, 00:03:04.169 --> 00:03:06.189 they're just too small for high -level card magic. 00:03:06.370 --> 00:03:08.330 Wow. Specifically, you know, those close -up 00:03:08.330 --> 00:03:10.629 dexterity illusions, the ones that need palming, 00:03:10.629 --> 00:03:12.349 manipulation. We need bigger hands for that, 00:03:12.430 --> 00:03:14.939 I guess. Apparently. And I find that moment just 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:17.159 fascinating, too, because it forces him to pivot, 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:20.599 right? From a career based on, like, fine motor 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:23.240 skills and hiding things physically. To a career 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:26.039 based on emotional concealment. Yeah. Pure characterization. 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:28.439 Exactly. If he couldn't manipulate the physical 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:30.979 world, he'd manipulate the emotional one. So 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:33.979 that physical limitation slams the door on maybe 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:37.360 traditional stage magic. Yeah. But the sources 00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:41.219 say Alexander realized something profound. That 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:44.180 theater itself. It was basically the same craft. 00:03:44.460 --> 00:03:46.719 Yeah, he reflected on it later. He saw that, 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:48.740 quote, the whole thing's an illusion. Nothing 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:51.460 up there is real. He figured acting was the grandest 00:03:51.460 --> 00:03:53.919 magic trick of them all. Creating a character 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.319 from nothing, making an audience believe in something 00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:59.400 that doesn't actually exist. So, okay, this commitment 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.280 to illusion, it leads him to Boston University. 00:04:01.599 --> 00:04:04.199 He enrolls to study classical acting. Serious 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.199 stuff. We're talking Shakespeare, dramatic roles. 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:08.400 Right. The whole nine yards. Big aspirations. 00:04:08.659 --> 00:04:11.379 But then, uh -oh, he gets another piece of feedback. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:14.340 Just as blunt, maybe more so than the small hands 00:04:14.340 --> 00:04:17.259 critique. Oh no, what now? Another physical reality 00:04:17.259 --> 00:04:20.220 check. A professor at BU looks at Alexander's 00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:23.620 physical type, maybe sees his comedic timing, 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.259 that natural expressiveness. Not exactly the 00:04:26.259 --> 00:04:28.579 stoic leading man type. Apparently not for this 00:04:28.579 --> 00:04:31.519 professor. So he redirects Alexander's focus, 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:33.699 and he delivers this line that must have just 00:04:33.699 --> 00:04:36.399 stuck with him forever. I know your heart and 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:39.240 soul are Hamlet, but you will never play Hamlet. 00:04:39.339 --> 00:04:43.420 Oof. That's rough. So basically, kid, your insides 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:46.360 want tragedy, but your outsides scream comedy. 00:04:46.699 --> 00:04:48.620 Pretty much. And, you know, what does that tell 00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:50.199 us about the industry back then, maybe still 00:04:50.199 --> 00:04:52.759 now, that pressure on young actors? Yeah, it 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:54.939 definitely says the industry was, and probably 00:04:54.939 --> 00:04:57.899 still is, kind of obsessed with specific physical 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:00.220 types for dramatic leads, right? Absolutely. 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:03.120 Alexander had this incredible voice, great range 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:05.560 expression, perfect for serious roles, technically, 00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:08.420 but he didn't fit that classic leading man look. 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:11.160 So that tough love, it essentially forced him 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:14.379 to recognize, okay, my path to success lies somewhere 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:16.759 else. Maximizing his natural... gift for physical 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:20.540 comedy, timing, verbal dexterity. The exact things 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:23.560 that make George Costanza unforgettable. And 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:26.019 as we'll see, the same qualities that got him 00:05:26.019 --> 00:05:28.480 rave reviews in musical theater. And he jumped 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:31.860 into it pretty quickly. He actually left BU after 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:34.279 his third year. Yeah, he landed a full -time 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:37.300 acting gig in New York City, sacrificed finishing 00:05:37.300 --> 00:05:39.920 the degree right then for real -world experience. 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:42.720 But BU gave him an honorary degree later. Oh, 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.810 right. In 95. They did. A nice gesture, recognizing 00:05:45.810 --> 00:05:49.230 his success later on. So before Broadway, before 00:05:49.230 --> 00:05:53.009 Seinfeld, he was doing the classic New York actor 00:05:53.009 --> 00:05:55.730 grind. Oh, yeah. Paying the bills. His first 00:05:55.730 --> 00:05:58.189 film debut, the sources mention, was way back 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:01.709 in 1981, a slasher film called The Burning. The 00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:03.910 Burning. OK, not exactly prestigious, maybe, 00:06:03.990 --> 00:06:06.709 but it's a start. It's a work. And the sources 00:06:06.709 --> 00:06:08.550 really show his early versatility, especially 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:10.350 in commercials during the 80s. He was like a 00:06:10.350 --> 00:06:12.709 chameleon on Madison Avenue. Doing ads for really 00:06:12.709 --> 00:06:14.649 high profile, different kinds of products. Totally 00:06:14.649 --> 00:06:17.290 diverse. We're talking Miller Lite beer. Okay. 00:06:17.389 --> 00:06:20.589 The legendary McDonald's McDLT hamburger. You 00:06:20.589 --> 00:06:23.089 remember that? Needed that specific, quirky, 00:06:23.269 --> 00:06:25.990 high energy delivery. Oh, I do. The hot side 00:06:25.990 --> 00:06:28.430 stays hot. The cool side stays cool. Exactly. 00:06:28.430 --> 00:06:31.790 And then completely different vibe. Levi's 501 00:06:31.790 --> 00:06:35.019 jeans. Needed a cooler persona for that. Being 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:37.939 able to sell all those different things. It really 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:39.879 speaks volumes about his ability, right, to just 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:42.160 jump into these little micro characters. That's 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:44.420 the definition of a great character actor. So 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:47.100 he was already a pro, paying the rent, being 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:49.639 versatile, way before the whole Seinfeld tidal 00:06:49.639 --> 00:06:52.379 wave hit in the 90s. And that grind, that versatility 00:06:52.379 --> 00:06:55.480 is exactly what prepared him for, well, the biggest 00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:58.579 stage in America. Broadway. Okay, this section 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:01.360 is so important for, like, redefining Alexander 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.019 in people's minds. Because George Costanza, the 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:07.019 Seinfeld pilot, that aired in 1989. Right. But 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:09.680 what the sources absolutely prove is that Jason 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.319 Alexander was already a celebrated, award -winning 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:14.860 titan on Broadway before he ever signed on to 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:16.920 play George. Way before. He made his Broadway 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:20.360 debut really early in 1981, landed a role in 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:22.800 Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along. 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:26.199 A Sondheim debut. Wow. Even if that show had 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:28.660 its initial struggles, that's instant legitimacy 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:30.720 in the theater world, isn't it? Puts you right 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.100 in the top tier. And he kept building that respected 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:35.860 stage career all through the 80s. Roles in The 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:39.060 Rink in 84, Neil Simon's Broadway, Bound in 86. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.110 He was a known quantity. respected in that tough 00:07:42.110 --> 00:07:45.250 new york theater scene definitely but the absolute 00:07:45.250 --> 00:07:48.350 peak of this pre -seinfeld success the moment 00:07:48.350 --> 00:07:51.370 that really cemented his legacy outside tv came 00:07:51.370 --> 00:07:54.850 in 1989 his role in the musical anthology jerome 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:56.949 robbins broadway and this is the performance 00:07:56.949 --> 00:08:00.689 that won him the tony award 1989 Tony for Best 00:08:00.689 --> 00:08:03.189 Actor in a Musical. Exactly. And listen, he didn't 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:05.730 win a Tony after becoming famous as George like 00:08:05.730 --> 00:08:08.129 some kind of vanity project. He won it simultaneously 00:08:08.129 --> 00:08:10.589 with the start of Seinfeld based on years of 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:13.189 hard stage work. That is such a critical distinction. 00:08:13.470 --> 00:08:15.529 It really is. And the sources give us this perfect 00:08:15.529 --> 00:08:17.870 little critical detail that just showcases the 00:08:17.870 --> 00:08:20.370 scale of what he achieved. Frank Rich, the really 00:08:20.370 --> 00:08:22.769 influential theater critic for the New York Times 00:08:22.769 --> 00:08:25.089 back then. Yeah. What did Rich say? Okay, get 00:08:25.089 --> 00:08:28.360 this. Rich wrote that Alexander, quote, banishes 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:31.160 the memory of Zero Mostel from the role of Pseudolus 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:33.960 in Backrise. A funny thing happened on the way 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:36.220 to the forum. Whoa, okay, hold on. For anyone 00:08:36.220 --> 00:08:38.500 listening who doesn't know theater history, Zero 00:08:38.500 --> 00:08:42.610 Mostel is Pseudolus. That's like... iconic, definitive. 00:08:43.009 --> 00:08:46.549 It's legendary. Mostel was that role for so many 00:08:46.549 --> 00:08:49.509 people. The conniving, singing slave, one of 00:08:49.509 --> 00:08:51.490 the greatest comedic performances ever on Broadway. 00:08:51.649 --> 00:08:54.110 So for Frank Rich to say that Alexander, this 00:08:54.110 --> 00:08:56.690 younger actor, essentially erased the memory 00:08:56.690 --> 00:08:59.429 of a legend, that's not just high praise, that's 00:08:59.429 --> 00:09:02.720 almost blasphemy. In a theatrical sense. It's 00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:05.279 huge. It means Alexander's performance wasn't 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:07.419 just good, it was transformative. What did that 00:09:07.419 --> 00:09:10.340 role, Pseudolus, require? What would he have 00:09:10.340 --> 00:09:13.179 had to do to earn that kind of comment? Oh, it's 00:09:13.179 --> 00:09:15.720 an unbelievable combination of skills. Pseudolus 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:18.240 is a total powerhouse role. You need expert physical 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:20.840 comedy, pinpoint timing, robust singing, dancing 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:23.519 ability, all while keeping up this chaotic energy 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:26.480 of a farce. It's a marathon. So to get that comparison 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:28.679 to Moskel means Alexander was just operating 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:39.960 on another level. Totally. And his love for the 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:42.519 stage. It didn't just vanish when he got famous 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:45.259 on TV, did it? Not at all. His commitment stayed 00:09:45.259 --> 00:09:47.500 strong. He kept returning to the stage. Like 00:09:47.500 --> 00:09:50.940 in The Producers. Yeah. From 2003 to 2004, he 00:09:50.940 --> 00:09:53.639 starred as Max Bialystock in the touring production 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:56.860 of Mel Brooks' The Producers, which, again, another 00:09:56.860 --> 00:10:00.179 massive, physically demanding, huge, comedic 00:10:00.179 --> 00:10:03.500 lead role that needs real musical talent. And 00:10:03.500 --> 00:10:06.279 then there's that wonderfully ironic full circle 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.039 moment in 2015. Oh, this is great. After years 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:11.679 of playing a character famously based on Larry 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:14.919 David, he steps in to replace Larry David himself 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:18.100 on Broadway. In David's own play, Fish in the 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:20.220 Dark. It's perfect theatrical symmetry, isn't 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:22.480 it? The actor playing the character modeled on 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:24.940 the creator takes over the creator's role. Fantastic. 00:10:25.379 --> 00:10:27.039 And he kept those high -profile connections in 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:28.980 the musical world too, right? Showing he still 00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:31.580 respected the genre. Definitely. Like in 2005, 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:34.179 he appeared with the legendary Angela Lansbury. 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:36.679 They performed selections from Sweeney Todd. 00:10:37.159 --> 00:10:40.120 Another complex Sondheim piece at Barbra Streisand's 00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.399 big birthday party for Sondheim at the Hollywood 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:44.500 Bowl. OK, that's like musical theater royalty 00:10:44.500 --> 00:10:47.360 rubbing shoulders. That's the rarefied air he 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:49.600 was breathing, even during and after Seinfeld. 00:10:49.659 --> 00:10:51.779 So, yeah, the picture is clear. Before and during 00:10:51.779 --> 00:10:54.899 George, there was Jason Alexander, the consummate 00:10:54.899 --> 00:10:57.539 stage professional, Tony winner. All right. So 00:10:57.539 --> 00:10:59.320 now we have to shift focus. We have to talk about 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:02.080 the cultural earthquake that was Seinfeld, the 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:04.620 thing that cemented his global fame, but also 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:06.740 maybe created the biggest professional. hurdle 00:11:06.740 --> 00:11:10.240 of his career george costanza yeah for nine years 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:14.379 right 1989 to 1998 alexander just lives in this 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:17.240 role achieves massive critical acclaim gets huge 00:11:17.240 --> 00:11:20.659 laughs but then runs into this really remarkable 00:11:20.659 --> 00:11:23.860 paradox when it comes to awards. The awards anomaly. 00:11:24.019 --> 00:11:25.940 It just jumps off the page when you look at the 00:11:25.940 --> 00:11:29.019 sources. The sheer number of nominations is staggering. 00:11:29.259 --> 00:11:31.500 It proves the character's impact, the quality 00:11:31.500 --> 00:11:33.899 of his performance. But the lack of wins in the 00:11:33.899 --> 00:11:35.740 biggest categories, it's kind of astonishing. 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:38.840 He got seven consecutive primetime Emmy nominations. 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:41.580 Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series. 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:44.000 Seven years in a row. Seven. Add to that four 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:45.940 Golden Globe nominations for best supporting 00:11:45.940 --> 00:11:49.159 actor, and yet... He never won either the Emmy 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:51.600 or the Globe for playing George. That's wild, 00:11:51.820 --> 00:11:54.860 especially given how dominant Seinfeld was culturally. 00:11:55.059 --> 00:11:57.519 If everyone loved the performance, critics included, 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:00.480 what did the sources suggest? Why did he keep 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:03.840 missing out? Was it like vote splitting with 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:06.529 the other cast members? That's usually the main 00:12:06.529 --> 00:12:08.929 theory you see in analyses. You know, his co 00:12:08.929 --> 00:12:11.169 -star Michael Richards playing Kramer, he won 00:12:11.169 --> 00:12:13.230 the Emmy quite a few times in those years. Right. 00:12:13.309 --> 00:12:15.990 So it suggests maybe the iconic nature of the 00:12:15.990 --> 00:12:18.470 whole ensemble. It might have diluted the vote. 00:12:18.750 --> 00:12:21.590 Maybe viewers, industry voters, they just struggle 00:12:21.590 --> 00:12:24.370 to pick one person from that perfect comedy quartet. 00:12:24.470 --> 00:12:27.289 But, and this is important, his peers did recognize 00:12:27.289 --> 00:12:29.750 the work, didn't they? Yes. The sources confirm 00:12:29.750 --> 00:12:33.700 he won the 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award. Outstanding 00:12:33.700 --> 00:12:36.059 performance by a male actor in a comedy series. 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:38.539 SAG award, voted on by other actors. Exactly. 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:41.620 That peer recognition suggests the industry really 00:12:41.620 --> 00:12:43.620 respected the craft, the meticulous work he put 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:46.220 into George, even if the bigger TV awards consistently 00:12:46.220 --> 00:12:48.240 passed him over. Maybe the difference between 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:51.940 critical respect and, like, televised spectacle. 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:55.220 Could be. But while George was taking over the 00:12:55.220 --> 00:12:58.120 small screen, Alexander was very carefully carving 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:01.909 out this massive parallel career. In film, and 00:13:01.909 --> 00:13:04.309 especially in voice acting, and often playing 00:13:04.309 --> 00:13:07.090 characters who were, refreshingly, nothing like 00:13:07.090 --> 00:13:09.370 George. This is where you really see the actor 00:13:09.370 --> 00:13:11.629 fighting against being typecast, right? Think 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:13.669 about the movies he did right when Seinfeld was 00:13:13.669 --> 00:13:16.769 taking off, like 1990. He did Pretty Woman and 00:13:16.769 --> 00:13:19.129 Jacob's Ladder. Two very different films. In 00:13:19.129 --> 00:13:21.860 Pretty Woman, he's Philip Stuckey. The slimy, 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.480 money -hungry lawyer. He's predatory, really. 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.340 Yeah, he's sharp, cruel, successful in his own 00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:30.399 awful way. Completely the opposite of George's 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:32.720 bumbling, pathetic failures. Alexander showed 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:35.299 this chilling capacity for villainy there. He 00:13:35.299 --> 00:13:37.779 needed a cold, sharp energy totally removed from 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:39.460 the neurosis of George. And then the same year, 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:42.120 Jacob's Ladder, that psychological thriller, 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:44.820 taking a role in a serious kind of mind -bending 00:13:44.820 --> 00:13:47.039 movie right after starting the biggest comedy 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:49.460 hit. That feels like a deliberate strategy, doesn't 00:13:49.460 --> 00:13:52.720 it? Defying typecasting. Absolutely. He cemented 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:55.019 himself as that go -to character actor. Could 00:13:55.019 --> 00:13:57.259 handle any genre. He popped up in comedies like 00:13:57.259 --> 00:14:00.100 Coneheads in 93, the journalism drama The Paper 00:14:00.100 --> 00:14:02.559 in 94. But the most successful parallel track 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:04.940 during this time, maybe the one that let him 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:07.840 truly escape George's shadow. Was voice acting? 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:10.720 Yeah, because there, his physical presence didn't 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:13.879 matter at all, only his vocal dexterity. And 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:16.799 he became a real powerhouse in animation, especially 00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:19.919 for Disney, but other series too. Let's start 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:21.960 with the one where he really vanished into a 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:24.980 complex character. Duckman. Duckman. Yeah, Alexander 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:27.279 voiced the title character, Eric Duckman. That 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:30.039 satirical animated series ran from 94 to 97. 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:32.740 And Duckman wasn't exactly like standard Saturday 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:34.799 morning cartoon fare, was it? Not at all. It 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:38.210 was dark, cynical. really satirical about this 00:14:38.210 --> 00:14:42.070 truly terrible selfish, private detective who 00:14:42.070 --> 00:14:44.009 happened to be a duck. So how is his duckman 00:14:44.009 --> 00:14:46.590 voice different from his Costanza voice? Totally 00:14:46.590 --> 00:14:48.909 different worlds. George's voice is all panic, 00:14:49.070 --> 00:14:51.830 nasal anxiety, that rapid -fire defensiveness, 00:14:52.049 --> 00:14:55.690 you know? Duckman, though. That was guttural, 00:14:55.950 --> 00:14:59.429 world -weary, often drunk, deeply self -pitying. 00:14:59.450 --> 00:15:02.649 It needed a much wider vocal range to sell the 00:15:02.649 --> 00:15:05.309 show's kind of existential crises and that complex 00:15:05.309 --> 00:15:07.889 cynicism. A really demanding role, vocal. Yeah, 00:15:07.929 --> 00:15:13.070 it used his talent. And then the Disney roles. 00:15:13.269 --> 00:15:15.230 Yeah. Which must have introduced his voice to 00:15:15.230 --> 00:15:17.190 millions of kids who had no idea he was also 00:15:17.190 --> 00:15:20.970 George Costanza. Exactly. He voiced Hugo, the 00:15:20.970 --> 00:15:22.950 gargoyle, in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre 00:15:22.950 --> 00:15:26.049 Dame in 96, and the sequel, too. Hugo, right? 00:15:26.230 --> 00:15:28.210 And he had a recurring villain role, too, Abbas 00:15:28.210 --> 00:15:30.970 Mal in The Return of Jafar in 1994, and then 00:15:30.970 --> 00:15:33.889 in the Aladdin TV series that followed. So, voicing 00:15:33.889 --> 00:15:37.059 a comic gargoyle. A Disney villain, a cynical 00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:40.080 detective duck, and neurotic George Costanza 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:42.779 all around the same time. That's incredible versatility. 00:15:42.960 --> 00:15:45.000 It really is. Few actors manage that kind of 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.000 range in such a short window. He even voiced 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.620 Catbert, the evil director of human resources 00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:51.700 in that short -lived animated Dilbert series 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:55.980 around 99 -2000. Right. Catbert. These voice 00:15:55.980 --> 00:15:58.740 roles clearly kept his creative engine firing, 00:15:58.860 --> 00:16:01.419 didn't they? Unburdened by the expectations tied 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:03.639 to his face. Definitely gave him an outlet. Okay, 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:07.940 so Seinfeld ends in 1998. The finale airs. And 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:10.220 that opens this really fascinating next chapter 00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:13.059 for Alexander. The attempt to go from being this 00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:16.120 iconic supporting character to being the leading 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:18.700 man. Which is notoriously difficult, right? Following 00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:21.419 up a monster hit like that. The sources definitely 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:23.799 confirm Alexander struggled with what people 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:26.000 sometimes call the Costanza curse. Yeah, the 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:28.820 sitcom struggle was real. He tried two lead roles 00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:31.759 in sitcoms after Seinfeld. Both were highly anticipated 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:34.580 and, well, both ultimately failed to really connect 00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:37.389 with audiences. The first one was Bob Patterson. 00:16:37.409 --> 00:16:40.809 Yeah. On ABC in 2001. Right. Heavily promoted. 00:16:41.289 --> 00:16:43.870 Alexander played a motivational speaker, which, 00:16:43.929 --> 00:16:45.549 you know, allowed him to channel some of that 00:16:45.549 --> 00:16:47.629 frantic George energy, but in a different frame. 00:16:47.730 --> 00:16:50.269 But got canceled super fast. Like five episodes. 00:16:50.450 --> 00:16:52.669 Yeah. Pulled very quickly. Yeah. And Alexander 00:16:52.669 --> 00:16:54.629 himself offered an interesting thought on why 00:16:54.629 --> 00:16:57.409 it failed. He partly blamed the timing, the national 00:16:57.409 --> 00:17:00.490 mood, right after 9 -11. Suggesting maybe the 00:17:00.490 --> 00:17:03.409 show's dark, cynical humor just wasn't... what 00:17:03.409 --> 00:17:06.470 the country wanted or needed right then. Needed 00:17:06.470 --> 00:17:08.769 more comfort, maybe? Makes you wonder, doesn't 00:17:08.769 --> 00:17:11.109 it, if timing was more critical than talent in 00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:14.250 that case. Could be. Then came the second shot. 00:17:14.690 --> 00:17:20.130 Listen up on CBS 2004 -2005. And here, Alexander 00:17:20.130 --> 00:17:23.089 upped his stake. He wasn't just the lead actor. 00:17:23.289 --> 00:17:25.210 He was also the principal executive producer. 00:17:25.630 --> 00:17:27.829 More creative control. It was loosely based on 00:17:27.829 --> 00:17:29.730 Tony Kornheiser, the sports personality, right? 00:17:30.349 --> 00:17:32.470 But even with that producer role, it also failed 00:17:32.470 --> 00:17:35.230 to get a second season. It just highlights how 00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:37.869 hard it was for the audience maybe to accept 00:17:37.869 --> 00:17:40.869 him in a non George long term leading role. But 00:17:40.869 --> 00:17:43.569 while those lead roles didn't stick, he found 00:17:43.569 --> 00:17:46.589 huge success just embracing the legacy, didn't 00:17:46.589 --> 00:17:49.119 he? especially showing up as himself on Curb 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:50.839 Your Enthusiasm. Oh, absolutely. Those recurring 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:52.700 cameos were brilliant. And, of course, it all 00:17:52.700 --> 00:17:55.140 culminated in that famous seven -season reunion 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:58.099 arc, where the Seinfeld cast played these exaggerated 00:17:58.099 --> 00:18:00.079 versions of themselves trying to get a reunion 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:02.400 show going. Just perfect meta -commentary on 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:06.019 their own fame. Genius stuff. And beyond playing 00:18:06.019 --> 00:18:08.839 himself, he had some really memorable guest spots 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:11.279 that weren't George, but still showed his comedy 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:14.119 chops. Like on Friends in 2001, the one where 00:18:14.119 --> 00:18:17.299 Rosita dies, he played Earl, a suicidal supply 00:18:17.299 --> 00:18:19.619 manager. Right. Seems like a standard guest spot. 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:21.880 But here's where his self -awareness really kicks 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:24.180 in. Okay. The sources point out that Friends' 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:27.440 appearance gets referenced later. In a 2003 guest 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:29.880 role he did on Malcolm in the Middle, Alexander 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:33.259 plays this neurotic loner named Leonard. And 00:18:33.259 --> 00:18:36.240 Leonard described himself as being free and making 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:38.779 money by... Wait for it. Selling toner over the 00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:40.420 phone. Selling toner over the phone. He was making 00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:42.400 a meta joke across different networks about his 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:44.779 own cameo history. Exactly. It's like an inside 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:47.200 joke for people paying close attention. But it 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:50.480 also shows Alexander was totally willing to use 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:53.779 that Costanza -esque anxiety persona for a quick 00:18:53.779 --> 00:18:56.299 self -referential gag. And didn't the Malcolm 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:59.160 episode take it even further? Oh, yeah. His character 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:01.680 Leonard was repeatedly harassed by another character. 00:19:02.250 --> 00:19:04.690 named george oh come on they knew exactly what 00:19:04.690 --> 00:19:07.230 they were doing playing right into the audience's 00:19:07.230 --> 00:19:10.869 deep -seated association okay we absolutely have 00:19:10.869 --> 00:19:12.930 to talk about the high -profile commercial work 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:16.130 that kind of unexpectedly blew up into a political 00:19:16.130 --> 00:19:21.009 controversy the kfc saga right so 2002 alexander 00:19:21.009 --> 00:19:23.170 starts appearing in kentucky fried chicken commercials 00:19:24.269 --> 00:19:27.470 Almost immediately, these rumors start swirling 00:19:27.470 --> 00:19:29.910 that he quit the campaign because of alleged 00:19:29.910 --> 00:19:33.529 animal cruelty by KFC suppliers. And PETA, the 00:19:33.529 --> 00:19:35.950 animal rights group, was heavily involved in 00:19:35.950 --> 00:19:37.970 pushing that narrative. Yeah, they were influential 00:19:37.970 --> 00:19:39.950 in spreading that story. It sounds like this 00:19:39.950 --> 00:19:41.970 potential clash, right? The committed advocate 00:19:41.970 --> 00:19:44.609 versus the working actor. But the sources have 00:19:44.609 --> 00:19:47.109 his direct denial. And we need to report that 00:19:47.109 --> 00:19:49.500 impartially. Absolutely. Alexander addressed 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:52.920 the rumor very clearly. He told Adweek, and this 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:55.640 is a direct quote, that's PETA bullcrap. I loved 00:19:55.640 --> 00:19:58.480 working for KFC. Okay, pretty unambiguous. Very. 00:19:58.579 --> 00:20:00.940 He clarified that PETA had actually contacted 00:20:00.940 --> 00:20:03.299 him, trying to get him to broker some kind of 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:05.660 agreement between them and KFC on animal welfare 00:20:05.660 --> 00:20:08.599 standards. He felt that KFC really stepped up 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:10.819 to the plate and made efforts, but that PETA, 00:20:10.819 --> 00:20:13.319 in his words, did not. And the best evidence 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:15.700 supporting his denial is probable. He came back. 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:18.880 He enthusiastically reprised the role of Colonel 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:21.980 Sanders in KFC commercials again in 2018. Right. 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:24.900 That pretty much completely undercuts the story 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:28.359 that he quit in protest back in 2002. Makes it 00:20:28.359 --> 00:20:30.220 look more like an organization trying to leverage 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:32.380 his fame. Seems that way based on his statements 00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:35.500 and actions. OK, so beyond performing, Alexander 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:38.019 also made these significant moves towards creative 00:20:38.019 --> 00:20:41.000 control. Directing, producing. Yeah, his film 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:43.420 directing credits. For better or worse in 96. 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:46.900 Just look at 99, both comedies. and his dedication 00:20:46.900 --> 00:20:49.799 to the actual art of theater, the physical space. 00:20:50.509 --> 00:20:52.890 was really profound he served for six years as 00:20:52.890 --> 00:20:55.269 the artistic director of reprise theater company 00:20:55.269 --> 00:20:57.930 in los angeles from 2007 until they closed down 00:20:57.930 --> 00:21:00.809 in 2013. that's a huge commitment isn't it artistic 00:21:00.809 --> 00:21:03.009 director oh it's massive it means you're overseeing 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:04.950 the whole creative vision picking the plays for 00:21:04.950 --> 00:21:07.329 the season managing budgets recruiting talent 00:21:07.329 --> 00:21:09.869 it's way more demanding than just directing one 00:21:09.869 --> 00:21:13.029 show he spent years nurturing the musical theater 00:21:13.029 --> 00:21:16.109 scene in l .a and then another milestone in 2023 00:21:16.109 --> 00:21:19.410 he makes his broadway directing debut With the 00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:22.049 comedy The Cottage. Yeah. So you see that full 00:21:22.049 --> 00:21:24.450 circle journey from Tony winning Broadway actor 00:21:24.450 --> 00:21:27.690 to celebrated Broadway director. And finally, 00:21:27.690 --> 00:21:29.990 he's jumping into new media, too. Launched a 00:21:29.990 --> 00:21:34.279 podcast in 2023. really no really right where 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:37.220 he tries to answer as he puts it life's most 00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:40.700 baffling intriguing confusing and annoying questions 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:44.299 always exploring always learning seems to be 00:21:44.299 --> 00:21:46.839 his way okay now this is genuinely satisfying 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:49.759 we get to circle back to his very first passion 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:54.400 illusion Magic. It's the ultimate vindication, 00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.059 isn't it? The guy whose hands were supposedly 00:21:56.059 --> 00:21:58.380 too small for professional card magic. He becomes 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:00.519 an award -winning professional magician. He really 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:02.480 did. He didn't just give up the dream, he refined 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:05.660 it. Focused maybe more on mentalism. In 2006, 00:22:05.779 --> 00:22:08.259 he performed this specialty mentalism and magic 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:11.119 act at the legendary Magic Castle in Hollywood. 00:22:11.420 --> 00:22:13.740 And this wasn't just, you know, a celebrity fooling 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:15.980 around with a hobby. No way. The sources confirm 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:18.099 it was serious work. Because the performance 00:22:18.099 --> 00:22:20.180 was so well -received within the magic community 00:22:20.180 --> 00:22:23.329 itself. He was named the Academy of Magical Arts 00:22:23.329 --> 00:22:26.170 Parlor Magician of the Year for 2006. Parlor 00:22:26.170 --> 00:22:28.210 Magician of the Year. And that wasn't even his 00:22:28.210 --> 00:22:30.390 first award from them. He had won their Junior 00:22:30.390 --> 00:22:34.049 Achievement Award way back in 1989. Wow. So that 00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:38.190 19 -year gap between awards, it shows this lifelong, 00:22:38.349 --> 00:22:41.630 serious, professional dedication to magic, something 00:22:41.630 --> 00:22:44.759 he developed. Right alongside his acting career. 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:47.140 Absolutely. It wasn't just a side thing. OK, 00:22:47.220 --> 00:22:49.940 beyond entertainment, the sources really emphasize 00:22:49.940 --> 00:22:52.779 Alexander's deep commitment to charitable work. 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:55.480 He served as the national spokesman for the Scleroderma 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:57.799 Foundation, right? Raising awareness for that 00:22:57.799 --> 00:23:00.259 chronic autoimmune disease. Yeah, a really important 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:03.079 cause. And he found this unique kind of high 00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:06.539 stakes way to raise serious money using his competitive 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:09.730 streak. Poker. Right. He competed on those televised 00:23:09.730 --> 00:23:12.769 celebrity poker shows. Bravo's Celebrity Poker 00:23:12.769 --> 00:23:14.829 Showdown. And he didn't just show up. He won. 00:23:14.970 --> 00:23:17.630 He took down the final table of the eighth season 00:23:17.630 --> 00:23:20.049 of that show, won a massive prize. How much was 00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:22.529 it? Half a million dollars. Five hundred thousand 00:23:22.529 --> 00:23:25.089 dollars, which he directed straight to the United 00:23:25.089 --> 00:23:27.369 Way of America, specifically earmarked for the 00:23:27.369 --> 00:23:29.349 New Orleans area, which was still really struggling 00:23:29.349 --> 00:23:32.069 after Hurricane Katrina. Wow. So that wasn't 00:23:32.069 --> 00:23:34.029 just a casual appearance. That was high stakes 00:23:34.029 --> 00:23:37.630 competition for a major humanitarian cause. Totally. 00:23:37.789 --> 00:23:40.109 And he later played in the actual World Series 00:23:40.109 --> 00:23:43.730 of Poker main event in 2007 and 2009. So his 00:23:43.730 --> 00:23:46.589 poker skills were legitimate enough for the biggest 00:23:46.589 --> 00:23:48.890 stage in the game. OK, now we need to turn to 00:23:48.890 --> 00:23:52.289 maybe his most complex and publicly challenging 00:23:52.289 --> 00:23:55.509 work, his high profile political engagement. 00:23:56.180 --> 00:23:59.099 especially around Middle East dialogue. And we 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:00.900 have to be really careful here to report this 00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:03.170 impartially. Just laying out what the sources 00:24:03.170 --> 00:24:06.009 say. Agreed. Total neutrality is key here. So 00:24:06.009 --> 00:24:08.430 Alexander is known as a prominent public supporter 00:24:08.430 --> 00:24:10.970 of the One Voice initiative. And just to clarify 00:24:10.970 --> 00:24:13.210 for listeners, One Voice is described as a group 00:24:13.210 --> 00:24:15.349 that focuses on getting opinions from moderate 00:24:15.349 --> 00:24:18.109 Israelis and Palestinians, trying to build momentum 00:24:18.109 --> 00:24:20.609 for a mutual peace agreement coming from what 00:24:20.609 --> 00:24:22.349 they call the silent majority on both sides. 00:24:22.549 --> 00:24:24.930 Right. So that positioning itself kind of highlights 00:24:24.930 --> 00:24:27.509 his preference for dialogue for a balanced perspective 00:24:27.509 --> 00:24:30.250 rather than taking an extreme side. But this 00:24:30.250 --> 00:24:33.480 balanced approach. faced intense scrutiny in 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:37.759 2012. He was in seeing a gala event for the Friends 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:40.440 of the Israel Defense Forces, the FIDF. It was 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:43.019 his third time doing it. And that specific event 00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:45.500 got a lot of negative attention because the musician 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:48.339 Stevie Wonder canceled his planned performance. 00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:51.650 Why did Wonder cancel? Well, according to reports, 00:24:51.910 --> 00:24:53.650 it followed a recommendation from the United 00:24:53.650 --> 00:24:56.630 Nations and also a very public petition campaign 00:24:56.630 --> 00:24:59.430 from the BDS movement, boycott, divestment and 00:24:59.430 --> 00:25:03.099 sanctions. And BDS generally aims to. pressure 00:25:03.099 --> 00:25:06.099 Israel economically and culturally over its policies, 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:08.240 right? That's their stated goal, yes. So the 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:10.339 sources confirm that Alexander, faced with this 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:12.180 controversy swirling around the event he was 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:14.720 hosting, chose to use his platform there. Not 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:17.000 to ignore it, but to actually express his complex, 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:19.180 multi -sided position. What did he say specifically? 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:21.500 He stated very clearly that he was an advocate 00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:24.019 for both sides, that he supported a two -state 00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:26.559 solution, and crucially, he acknowledged the 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:28.640 occupation of Palestine. So he was trying to 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:31.279 hold multiple, maybe conflicting ideas at the 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:34.460 same time. It seems so. He did defend the IDF 00:25:34.460 --> 00:25:36.980 at the event, saying they were, quote, some of 00:25:36.980 --> 00:25:40.200 the finest, most humane, most admirable, most 00:25:40.200 --> 00:25:42.559 noble -serving soldiers that I've ever seen. 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:45.710 But then he immediately pivoted. To balance that. 00:25:45.910 --> 00:25:48.329 Exactly. He made sure the audience understood 00:25:48.329 --> 00:25:50.849 his broader view by stating that he holds, quote, 00:25:50.970 --> 00:25:53.630 everyone equally accountable in the conflict. 00:25:53.930 --> 00:25:56.430 It really seems like he was using his visibility 00:25:56.430 --> 00:25:58.710 to push for dialogue and accountability across 00:25:58.710 --> 00:26:01.210 the board rather than just fundraising for one 00:26:01.210 --> 00:26:03.549 side without question. That kind of political 00:26:03.549 --> 00:26:06.089 navigation, handling that complexity in public, 00:26:06.250 --> 00:26:09.170 it's a really crucial part of his post -Seinfeld 00:26:09.170 --> 00:26:11.190 identity, isn't it? Yeah, it shows him actively 00:26:11.190 --> 00:26:13.170 grappling with some of the world's toughest issues 00:26:13.170 --> 00:26:15.650 and refusing to be. just, you know, a simple 00:26:15.650 --> 00:26:18.130 partisan figure on this particular issue. OK, 00:26:18.230 --> 00:26:20.809 zooming back to domestic U .S. politics here, 00:26:21.089 --> 00:26:24.309 his views seem much more clearly defined and 00:26:24.309 --> 00:26:26.509 partisan, according to the sources. Right. He's 00:26:26.509 --> 00:26:28.410 described as a supporter of the Democratic Party, 00:26:28.549 --> 00:26:32.309 endorsed Barack Obama in 2012, Joe Biden in 2020. 00:26:32.470 --> 00:26:35.069 And he supports specific social causes publicly. 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:37.720 Yeah, things like same sex marriage and assault 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:40.519 weapons ban. And he hasn't been shy about using 00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:43.660 his comedic voice to criticize political figures 00:26:43.660 --> 00:26:46.299 she opposes. He famously went after the Trump 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:49.079 administration. Right. And once compared Donald 00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:53.240 Trump's dancing to Elaine Benis, the iconic. 00:26:53.950 --> 00:26:56.670 Awful dancing from Seinfeld, which is just a 00:26:56.670 --> 00:26:58.970 perfect reference guaranteed to land with anyone 00:26:58.970 --> 00:27:01.289 who watched the show. Absolutely perfect. And 00:27:01.289 --> 00:27:03.829 in maybe the most satisfyingly meta political 00:27:03.829 --> 00:27:06.430 jab. Oh, this one's great. He used a classic 00:27:06.430 --> 00:27:09.710 Seinfeld insult against Senator Ted Cruz, called 00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:12.190 him a jerk from the jerk store. The jerk store. 00:27:12.329 --> 00:27:14.769 It's like George Costanza himself crossing over 00:27:14.769 --> 00:27:17.470 into political commentary, making a reference 00:27:17.470 --> 00:27:21.049 only Jason Alexander can truly legitimately own. 00:27:21.190 --> 00:27:23.960 A move George himself would. probably be way 00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:26.980 too cowardly to ever attempt in real life which 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:29.200 brings us right back to that profound disconnect 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:31.640 we started with yeah this whole deep dive it's 00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:34.259 really revealed conclusively that the actor we 00:27:34.259 --> 00:27:36.700 think we know jason alexander is just so much 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:39.019 more than the character that defined him we've 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:42.160 tracked the journey of j scott greenspan Watched 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:45.019 him transcend George Costanza, earn that Tony 00:27:45.019 --> 00:27:48.180 along the way, build this career -spanning complex 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:50.740 drama, tons of animation, Broadway directing. 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:53.460 And high -stakes poker played purely for huge 00:27:53.460 --> 00:27:56.119 charitable wins. His life really proves it, doesn't 00:27:56.119 --> 00:27:59.440 it? Being defined by one iconic role doesn't 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:02.200 mean you have to be limited by it. He successfully 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:05.480 juggled stage mastery, screen success, award 00:28:05.480 --> 00:28:08.339 -winning magic, serious artistic management. 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:10.960 All while leveraging his fame to push for causes 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:13.539 he cared about. Whether it's scleroderma research, 00:28:13.779 --> 00:28:15.740 Katrina relief, or trying to foster dialogue 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:17.839 in the Middle East. And that leads us right back 00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:20.200 to that fundamental paradox, the thing that makes 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:23.000 his story so compelling. George Costanza, the 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:26.079 character we know. He's fundamentally selfish, 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:28.920 right? Profoundly neurotic, desperate to dodge 00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:31.359 responsibility, always looking for the easiest, 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:33.839 most self -serving way out. Total opposite, because 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:36.240 Jason Alexander in reality is this dedicated 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:38.440 political advocate pushing for mutual peace, 00:28:38.619 --> 00:28:40.980 an acclaimed director, an active artistic director 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:43.319 for theater companies, a charitable powerhouse 00:28:43.319 --> 00:28:45.920 who actively takes on responsibility in complex 00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:48.200 issues. He's the total opposite of the character 00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:50.579 that made him famous worldwide. So what does 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:52.380 that really say about the power of performance? 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:55.410 Or maybe... Maybe it says something about our 00:28:55.410 --> 00:28:57.930 failure as an audience to look beyond the surface 00:28:57.930 --> 00:29:01.089 sometimes, that the world believes in this single, 00:29:01.230 --> 00:29:04.470 deeply flawed character, even when the actor 00:29:04.470 --> 00:29:07.529 is so clearly capable of embodying his total 00:29:07.529 --> 00:29:10.089 opposite in real life. It leaves us with a really 00:29:10.089 --> 00:29:11.809 important question, maybe something for you, 00:29:11.869 --> 00:29:14.509 the listener, to think about, a thing we often 00:29:14.509 --> 00:29:17.490 overlook when we engage with art. What other 00:29:17.490 --> 00:29:20.250 iconic characters might we be completely misjudging? 00:29:20.569 --> 00:29:23.730 Or whose actors are we maybe failing to appreciate 00:29:23.730 --> 00:29:26.650 the true depth and dedication behind the performance? 00:29:26.950 --> 00:29:28.930 Yeah. Something to definitely mull over next 00:29:28.930 --> 00:29:31.269 time you see that classic George Costanza slumped 00:29:31.269 --> 00:29:32.089 posture on your screen.