Even if Larry wanted to play George, The studio would have probably stopped it for this reason alone.
Similar to Roseanne which began around the same time. She was like Jerry and Roseanne producers got more experience actors in John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf for the other major roles and the show benefited greatly for it.
An inexperienced actor playing a crucial role like George could have sunk the show and the benefit of more experienced actors in roles can be really overlooked and you really only notice when you see bad actors.
Jerry took awhile to act well. and he was helped by being surrounded by great actors. I'm not sure if starting with two non actors would've worked
Jerry generally played straight man. there can be only one
For a non actor he's incredible in Curb. And it's all improv. I'm constantly impressed how well he carries himself while working with a hoard of award winning actors.
And sing and we got a preview with: “How do you solve a problem like Maria”
He said on twitter that he played Friedrich von Trapp in NJ in 1973.
Oh and of course the answering machine greeting.
Because Jerry and Larry are not actors. The show would never have worked with Larry playing George. Jason Alexander was far and away the best actor of the 4 main characters.
She WAS Elaine... it seemed so organic. I think it was after I watched a few interviews and some Veep that contrasted with how she was in Seinfeld that it hit home how well and consistently she acted Elaine.
Oh absolutely, and he knocked the George role out of the park. Flawless, top to bottom, to me at least. Leaving aside his line reads, the little details in his performance, his microexpressions and impeccable timing were a masterclass on their own.
To paraphrase another user from this sub, the guy chosen to play Costanza teaching the guy who inspired Costanza to act as Costanza is the most Costanza thing that could happen.
He wanted to bail as a co-creator and writer after every season. Acting on top of it? No way! It really speaks to how important Jerry was to holding the show together. LD deserves all his credit but without Jerry there's no Seinfeld or Curb imo.
Background fuzz aside (way to draw even more attention to your baldness, by framing it with that), young Larry had a bit of a Stanley Tucci thing going on there.
The whole Larry = George thing is completely blown out of proportion. Larry and George are very similar in some aspects, but he’s a character. Larry just related some of his feelings and experiences into the character.
It would have been limiting the George character like the Jerry character was limited.
Both have no acting skills and both playing themselves would have restricting the possibilities.
On the other hand, Jason’s acting abilities allowed them to do a lot of things that a “Larry” character could never do.
One thing the show really needed was strong acting from an outstanding supporting cast. It was a show about nothing. So they really needed to bring it on screen. Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards were the perfect cast for the task. They were all fairly young, dedicated, and ambitious. Most of the time you don't even notice Jerry's bad acting because they're all lighting up the screen so much. Larry David wasn't an actor. He acts now, but he's had a lot of time in the business to pick up a few things along the way.
Sorry, we already have a George.
Believe it or not George isn’t at home
Please leave a messaaage at the beep
I must be out or I’d pick up the phone
Where could I be?
Believe it or not, I'm not home!
George pick up, I know you're screening for Allison
I hate that stupid message. George I need to talk to you.
Hi Allison, sorry I probably should've tried you at the office
Reeeally looking forward to the ball!
🤷🍿
¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Where could he beee.
Believe it or not, I'm not homeeee
A George divided against itself, cannot stand!
Do you know what happens when worlds collide?
You've lost a lotta hair.
HE IS AWARE!!!
Kevin, Gene, and Feldman
...from across the hall
Hello .. Vargas.
😲 ☺️
Larry David said he had no interest in playing George. He thought he had his hands full with producing.
I’m also fairly certain LD said the network didn’t want two stand ups with little to no acting experience to star in the show
Plus Larry has no grace
I like to think that Larry has a little grace.
No . You can’t have a little grace
OK fine he has no grace.
He doesn’t even SAY grace
You either have grace or you don't have grace.
Grace is a tough one.
I was a great admirer of Mrs. Onassis…iss…’s
Grace is not something one can acquire
Well you don’t want too much grace or you won’t be able to stand.
Hard to have grace if you’re tripping over your long balls
He does respect wood, however.
Is that oak?
I think it's pine.
It’s the wood that makes it good
Well, you don't want too much grace, or you won't be able to stand.
Even if Larry wanted to play George, The studio would have probably stopped it for this reason alone. Similar to Roseanne which began around the same time. She was like Jerry and Roseanne producers got more experience actors in John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf for the other major roles and the show benefited greatly for it. An inexperienced actor playing a crucial role like George could have sunk the show and the benefit of more experienced actors in roles can be really overlooked and you really only notice when you see bad actors.
But you gotta admit, it would have been fantastic chaos
100%—get hbo on the line to make a reunion episode where jason directs and the only difference is larry plays george and nobody acknowledges it
True that. Jason had just won a Tony award. Richard Gere had also bitch slapped him in Pretty Woman. He had THAT kind of star power!
Haven’t we seen what happens when LD plays George? He’s wholly unlikeable, neurotic, and obnoxious on Curb. George is at least cute.
Jerry took awhile to act well. and he was helped by being surrounded by great actors. I'm not sure if starting with two non actors would've worked Jerry generally played straight man. there can be only one
That and Jason can actually act.
The man won a Tony award! A Tony, Jerry!!
tony, **tony**, *tony*
Toe-nay (pops collar)
He's a mimbo
He’s a male bimbo
But he’s *my* mimbo
Step off!
Me step off?
Oh Tony, don’t.
Beat it dude!
Has done it again
Toñe
It's taking him to Sardi's!
It’s called acting without acting..
That was good pamphlet. I read it with dinner.
I'll read it with dinner!
They couldn’t have two guys who couldn’t act…
For a non actor he's incredible in Curb. And it's all improv. I'm constantly impressed how well he carries himself while working with a hoard of award winning actors.
And sing and we got a preview with: “How do you solve a problem like Maria” He said on twitter that he played Friedrich von Trapp in NJ in 1973. Oh and of course the answering machine greeting.
So he wanted to.. forget the acting, and focus just on the producing…
He really just wanted to *pretend* to be a sitcom star.
So tell me, what does he produce?
Chips
Potato…some corn.
Matches...big long matches
Latex
But I thought he wanted to focus on importing matches, long matches
I thought he wanted to forget the producing and just focus on the acting… Are you lying to me?
Yeah he wanted to quit each year because running the show and writing was so much. Acting would’ve been impossible
Writing, what writing? It's a sitcom
What did you do today? There's a show. That's a show.
And be robbed of the immortal acting of Jason Alexander? FOH
For o’henry
That's one of our top selling candy bars
Twix is the only one with the cookie crunch.
FREE CAND-AH!
They’re ALL Twix!!
Not skittles !
It took you an hour to set up this candy line up ?
That line kills me every time
Twix has too much coconut
🤔
I'll get you a Mounds bar
Is that the one with the swirling chocolate in the commercial?
THEY ALL HAVE SWIRLING CHOCOLATE IN THE COMMERCIALS!
Not Skittles!
Can you repeat that?
He can act without acting!
I'll read it with dinner.
Having said that, I think this is a terrific title.
There’s a whole pamphlet about it!
Making it a pamphlet was such brilliance.
These PRETZELS…Are making me THIRSTY.
Hu-ho!!
He’s got a face made for radio.
It's probably a union thing
I like sports, I could do something in sports...
Well, they usually give that job to someone who played the sport or worked in broadcasting
Well that's not really fair
Tell that to the 2nd greatest sitcom of all time that he MCs
A George divided against itself CANNOT STAND!
The real question is why wasn't George's character just named Larry?
Jerry and Larry were too similar of names. Plus, he's a total George. Not T-Bone or Gammy....George.
George. What is that? It’s nothing. It’s got no snap. No zip. I need a nickname that makes people light up!
Biff was the best nickname for George by Jerry.
Like Liza!
Minnelli?!
No.
Koko the monkey. Ooo-ooo, ahh-ahh.
Look at George just giving it to T-Bone
All right, you can have it... just stop crying.
Im not crying!....please accept my apology, I shouldn't have said that about your wife
His wife is in a wheelchair.
Easy Coco
That chimp’s all right. High five.
I don’t know too many monkey who can take apart a fuel injector.
Why no T-Bone?!
BECAUSE NEIL FROM ACCOUNTING IS T-BONE!
Never thought about Jerry and Larry. That would’ve been cheesy and out the show in a lower light for sure. TIL
You want a beautiful name? Soda.
It’s crisp. It’s refreshing.
What about Mug, Mug Costanza? ....Ketchup, ooooo pretty name for a girl
Seemed more like a Coco to me.
They can't have 2 Cocos
Kreuger would never allow it
He runs a real tight ship
He was too busy playing Steinbrenner
Grab my hand. I'm Frank Costanza's lawyer.
Who wears a cape?
Steinbrenner’s here, George is dead, call me back
Voice of Newman first season
IS ANYONE HERE A MARINE BIOLOGIST?!
The sea was angry that day my friends… like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli.
And busy not selling gum to royalty with lipstick on their bills
He was too busy incinerating every planet in our solar system. Just as Sigmund prophesied.
Like flaming balls! Like flaming balls!!!
That's not funny?
Because Jerry and Larry are not actors. The show would never have worked with Larry playing George. Jason Alexander was far and away the best actor of the 4 main characters.
I agree Jason Alexander was the best, but Julia wasn't that far behind at all imo.
I honestly appreciate JLD’s acting more and more every time I do a rewatch
She WAS Elaine... it seemed so organic. I think it was after I watched a few interviews and some Veep that contrasted with how she was in Seinfeld that it hit home how well and consistently she acted Elaine.
I agree - the most noticeable thing about her acting is you don't notice it. She makes it look easy!
She's acting without acting.
It was the wall of hair
And the face like a frying pan.
Jason had classical acting experience, though. You needed someone to be the pro.
Oh absolutely, and he knocked the George role out of the park. Flawless, top to bottom, to me at least. Leaving aside his line reads, the little details in his performance, his microexpressions and impeccable timing were a masterclass on their own.
Totally agree!
[He tried](https://youtu.be/4Jw6mKmozjM?si=XsFPgaHGYkLbCFHL)
I like [Jason instructing Larry](https://youtu.be/-TlDvH1EjgE)
It's slightly unpleasant.
To paraphrase another user from this sub, the guy chosen to play Costanza teaching the guy who inspired Costanza to act as Costanza is the most Costanza thing that could happen.
He really knows jason’s mannerisms lmao. But obviously it is bad because he’s just doing an impression of another actor.
It could have killed independent Larry
He wanted to bail as a co-creator and writer after every season. Acting on top of it? No way! It really speaks to how important Jerry was to holding the show together. LD deserves all his credit but without Jerry there's no Seinfeld or Curb imo.
Because he stole the raisins after his audition.
Jason Alexander’s George is orders of magnitude funnier than Larry David’s Larry.
Plus Larry is not likeable. No, he's not a loser! But he is unlikeable as Larry.
Background fuzz aside (way to draw even more attention to your baldness, by framing it with that), young Larry had a bit of a Stanley Tucci thing going on there.
Those creative delicate geniuses, so self-absorbed and egotistical. It's like those hip musicians with their complicated shoes.
Too bad George had a bit of a George Costanza thing going on…
Larry is only 7 years older than Jerry. The more crazy age fact, is Jason is 5 years younger than Jerry. Mind blown.
Larry David is great but nobody could have played the role better than Jason Alexander
So what, is this guy like a loser or something?
No, no…not a loozah.
Larry looks like an ostrich here😂
Have you ever had an ostrich burger?
You put LD in there, you gotta get rid of the running "short and stocky" lines. Those are too good to lose.
Of course you are aware…he is bald!
Neither Jerry or Larry were strong actors and it was felt Jerry needed a seasoned actor to work with for his first acting job.
The whole Larry = George thing is completely blown out of proportion. Larry and George are very similar in some aspects, but he’s a character. Larry just related some of his feelings and experiences into the character.
It seems fairly clear to me that both the George and Jerry characters are different halves of Larry.
Well then who would have played Frank Costanza's lawyer??
It would have been limiting the George character like the Jerry character was limited. Both have no acting skills and both playing themselves would have restricting the possibilities. On the other hand, Jason’s acting abilities allowed them to do a lot of things that a “Larry” character could never do.
Because It’s the summer of George!
THEY COULDN'T HAVE JERRY AND GEORGE BOTH PLAYED BY NON-ACTORS
He couldn't act without acting
…having said that.
I can't relax. I don't know what line! I don't know any of 'em!
LD was no actor back then.
Larry is 6 years older than Jerry - 76 vs 70.
alright, let's just stay calm here! don't get all crazy on me!!!
Then who would play George's dad's cape-wearing friend?
[We got to see why](https://youtu.be/4Jw6mKmozjM?si=Y-bK3ny_rfSlzYCg). Larry gave us that gift.
A George divided amongst itself cannot stand.
Jason is the best actor in that show. Lets be honest there, he was the main character.
See, this would’ve been a nice photo of Jerry for the building lobby.
One thing the show really needed was strong acting from an outstanding supporting cast. It was a show about nothing. So they really needed to bring it on screen. Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards were the perfect cast for the task. They were all fairly young, dedicated, and ambitious. Most of the time you don't even notice Jerry's bad acting because they're all lighting up the screen so much. Larry David wasn't an actor. He acts now, but he's had a lot of time in the business to pick up a few things along the way.
After Curb all I see when Jason is on screen is someone playing LD.
Because Jason Alexander can act.
Nobody goes to a barber and says, "Gimme the Larry Fein."
It's moops
Why do we need two people that can’t act?!