Television
Julia Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t believe there is a ‘Seinfeld curse’
The actress, who played Elaine on the iconic sitcom, believes the term was invented by the media.
Don’t try talking to Julia Louis-Dreyfus about the “Seinfeld curse”.
The ‘Veep’ star recently sat down with Rolling Stone and talked about the term which emerged following the conclusion of ‘Seinfeld’ back in 1998.
“I think any time a project ends, it’s gutting for me,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “And that’s true of movies and TV shows.
“There is a focus and a camaraderie that’s very much present when you’re working hard on a project that you believe in, and when the circus leaves town, it’s a huge transition. There’s a real feeling of sadness for me. ‘Where did all my buddies go?’ ‘Where are my friends?’”
When the curse was brought up, Louis-Dreyfus made it clear that she finds the whole thing “ridiculous”.
“It was invented by the media,” said Louis-Dreyfus. “They thought it was clever. You don’t need me to prove it wrong, it was ridiculous! It made no sense.
“I was amazed that it had legs, because it was so moronic. I don’t know how else to say it!”
What is the “Seinfeld curse”?
The “Seinfeld curse” was coined back in 1998 after the iconic sitcom ended and several of the cast’s post-’Seinfeld’ careers bombed.
Michael Richards’ ‘The Michael Richards’ show only lasted eight episodes, while Jason Alexander’s ‘Bob Patterson’ and ‘Listen Up!’ were both cancelled after one season.
Louis-Dreyfus’ ‘Watching Ellie’ did better by running for two seasons before it was canceled due to low ratings.
However, Louis-Dreyfus’ ‘The New Adventures of Old Christine’ all but ended that trend, running for five seasons and earning her an Emmy in 2006.
“I’m not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby!” she said during her acceptance speech. She would go on to win six more Emmys for her work on ‘Veep’.
Louis-Dreyfus isn’t the first ‘Seinfeld’ star to scoff at the suggestion of a curse.
Co-creator Larry David once told Esquire magazine: “Are you crazy? It’s so annoying to hear something like that. There was no curse. It’s crazy. So there were two TV shows attempted that didn’t work? Big deal. How many TV shows work?… A curse? It’s so absurd. That’s the most idiotic notion.”