Jerry Seinfeld has been responsible for more movies than you think. Yes, she co-wrote and provided vocals for Bee Moviefrom 2007. But before that, Seinfeld -where going to the cinema was almost as common a destination as the cafeteria- gave rise to dozens of (fake) films. Rochelle, Rochelle, Negative Prognosis, Sack Lunch.
But almost three decades after in one episode, he was cajoled into smuggling “Death Blow,” he has finally made his first film. Jerry Seinfeld directed, co-wrote and stars unfrosteda star-studded comedy about the invention of Pop-Tart already released on Netflix.
The film, co-starring Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan and Hugh grantamong others, is an extravagant satire set in the 60s and inspired by Mad Menin which the brands Kellogg’s and Post CereaThey embark on a ruthless race to “turn the American breakfast table upside down.” “When you see any scene you say: ‘What’s that?’ And I liked that a lot,” Seinfeld commented in a recent interview. “I like that you see it and say: ‘I do not know what it is’”.
For Seinfeld, who has resolutely stuck to stand-up since the famous series that bears his last name as its title ended in 1998, it is a rare post-sitcom project, which joins a short and sporadic list that includes the ephemeral reality television series The Marriage Ref and the popular streaming show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
However, unfrosted returns the comedian to one of his permanent passions. Do you remember all those cereal boxes in his apartment? Seinfeld”? Pop-Tarts especially fascinate him. In his comedy special 23 hours to killformed an extensive fragment that began with a childhood memory: “When they invented the Pop-Tart“My neck exploded.”
For Seinfeld, Pop-Tart has an almost mythical character. a film about Airing, Milk Duds or even Junior Mints It wouldn’t work, he says. But the Pop-Tart is different. “A lot of it is the word. “It’s a funny word,” Seinfeld declared, adding: “I heard Mattel is trying to make a movie about Hot Wheels. It could work. “Certain things really got to us when we were kids, you know?”
In this extensive interview, Seinfeld talked about topics big and small.
—Is it true that your moments at the end of Curb Your Enthusiasm Were they improvised with Larry David?
—The idea came right at that moment. I said, “Hey, let’s talk about the ending right now.” We had been talking about it all day because it was the end of it. We were talking about series finales all day. And I said that Mad Men was my favorite and that of The Sopranos I thought it was great, and obviously ours was what it was.
-What does that mean? Are you happy with it or not?
—Well, I think what we said in that scene. We thought, “Yeah, that would have been better.” (Laughs) It’s very difficult to remember. The emotional state I was in after nine years was a bit disastrous. Maybe we weren’t thinking clearly. The idea of doing it on your show is really amazing. To do that, two people have to have two long-running hit comedies and they have to play themselves, 25 years apart. As I drove home that night on the 10 freeway in Los Angeles, my head was exploding at the math of what had just happened: creating something in ’98 and paying for it in ’23. For a person like me, who is dedicated to making kidding, it’s really amazing. For a joking person like me, I felt like I had landed on the moon.
— unfrosted It starts with an old monologue number of yours. Are you surprised that a movie was made about him?
—It was the idea of Spike Ferestenscreenwriter of Seinfeld. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t think it would work. What is a movie about the invention of Pop-Tart? It’s not funny. And (the screenwriter of Seinfeld) Andy Robin had the idea that it was The chosen ones of glory And I said, “How funny.”
—I think it has a line about “splitting the breakfast atom,” so this is also like a Oppenheimer snack size.
-Yeah, Oppenheimer. I think it’s a fun game if anyone wants to play: how many movies have we stolen from. Obviously, The Godfather“, obviously The chosen ones of glory. At one point, she was going to say, “I’ll bury you in the ground, Eli,” Bloody oil. And we weren’t even going to explain it. The character was not called Eli.
—You once suggested in an interview that you just say you love Pop-Tarts to make the joke work.
“I probably just said it to make it work.” But I love Pop-Tarts. Yesterday I ate one. We were doing a report on social networks with Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor. I took a bite and said, “This is fantastic.” What I like is its artificial quality. I love big objects that fit nicely in your hand. A pack of cigarettes is one of the best things you can put in your hand. Feels very good. I like the dice. I like spoons. I like things. (laughs)
—Were you aware of the recent trend of films based on products?
—Yes, but we started much earlier. I was a little disappointed to suddenly become part of a trend, but there was nothing we could do about it.
—Do you have any idea why we have focused on American consumerism? Your film is a great satire of American consumerism.
-In my case, I love men in suits talking about something stupidsuch as cereals, puffs and sprinkles.
—You have often spoken of your dedication to honing and sculpting a joke. Are you still motivated by it?
—The other night I started with a joke about a kitchen sponge in the sink that looked at you and said, “I don’t know how much more you think I have. She had finished two months ago.” Now it’s growing and growing into a monologue from your kitchen sponge telling you, “Let me go! Let me die as a rectangle, not in pieces.” When I get hooked on something like this, I just want to see how far I can go with it, how long they’ll let me talk about it.
—You are about to turn 70 years old. Is it meaningful to you?
-No.
—Some artists withdraw into themselves when they reach 70, as Steven Spielberg did with The Fabelmans. But maybe this is a very personal film for you.
-A lot. This is my Fabelmans. Because I’m not interested in my life. I’m interested in eating.
—Why have you always avoided current events or politics in your comedies?
—I don’t have the necessary fluency. Your comedy, whatever it is, only works with certain things. Mine only works with these stupid things.
—However, dedicating oneself to meaninglessness makes some sense.
—I have spoken at length about this topic with my friend Joel Hodgson (creator of Mystery Science 3000) and is incredibly eloquent about it: “The throwaway culture of our childhood was not throwaway for us.” We loved these things deeply and they made sense in their meaninglessness.
—You had a great debate with Marc Maron as almost diametrically opposed comedians. He believes in baring his soul on stage and you promise fidelity to the joke. I thought they were both right.
—My attitude, I think, was more to talk to comedians. I think comedians, if they want to survive a lifetime doing this, have to pay a lot of attention to laughter. There is no less value in what you are doing, but I would worry about how long this would last in your life. But, yeah, it’s a good point. We were both right, just different.
—You have said that you want to do stand-up until you are 80 and beyond.
-Until the end. Until the end.
—Do you still think the same?
-Yeah. The only difficult thing in my life is the other things. People ask me if I’m going to slow down and I say, “The work part of my life is not stand-up. It’s all the other things.” Stand-up is an incredible, pure experience. My biggest regret in my life is that I never became good at surfing. I did it for two weeks once many years ago. But if you were a surfer, you would never stop surfing. That’s stand-up for me. I never get tired of feeling that energy, that natural life force under you and around you.
—Are you thinking about another stand-up special?
-No. Right now I’m not sure it’s a form of comedy for me. I would love to think about something else, even if I wanted to, which I don’t want to right now. As, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, the subtext is: “I’m sick of talk shows on TV.” I did it because of that. And let me show you why. We no longer want to see them sitting on a couch. The people who do it don’t have fun doing it. That was my anti-talk program. So I’d like to do an anti-stand-up special. Sometimes I envy those small Italian artisans who don’t care if anyone knows who they are or what they do. And stand-up can be like that. Any writing job is a very lonely job. Stand-up, in a way, is a kind of private, lonely world. I’m going to Dayton, Ohio, on Friday. Nobody will know what happened there. That attracts me a lot. I’m more attracted to that than: “Hey everyone, I made a movie.” If I had the choice, I would like to do this work very discreetly and privately.
—It’s interesting that you say that as someone who had one of the greatest television shows in history. Maybe he had had enough.
-It’s possible. But it never felt like me. Larry and I, when we started doing the show we thought, “This is going to be something really fun,” a little boutique that will appeal to our people who like these kinds of quirky, off-the-beaten-path things, and that would be great. What he became was never on our radar. Then suddenly you’re a big wave surfer. I think it was harder for Larry than it was for me. Because you feel the pressure. I never minded the pressure.
—Have you experienced that the younger generations find Seinfeld on Netflix?
—At that age, between 10 and 12 years old, they seem to find it. At first they have no idea what it is. (Laughs) I think all the credit goes to Jason (Alexander), Michael (Richards) and Julia (Louis-Dreyfus), for what they did with those characters, the color they found in all of them. Larry and I were just having silly conversations, but they made it so accessible. They deserve all the recognition for the success of the series.
Source: AP
[Fotos: REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan; prensa Netflix; Getty Images]
