Met him briefly once - he gave a talk before a large number of Infertility Specialist physicians (reproductive endocrinologists) at a banquet - it was about his family’s struggles to have a baby and their eventual success.
He *killed *- freakin’ hilarious; he had to stop for applause and to wait for the laughter to die down several times.
Away from the lectern, he was a very charming, nice man - he was clearly “on” for the event, so he had his performance face on, but he came across as pretty cool.
Only for the last three years, but he’s played on the World Poker Tour as well. He did go deep this year - he made it nearly to the end of Day 3, or a few hours shy of the money-winning placing.
I don’t know him, but he and I share a passion for magic. He did a magic performance at the The Magic Castle which was, along with an interview, released on a DVD magazine called Reel Magic. Magic geeks are okay by me.
I have to go off-topic for 1 sec to say Shatner is way cute in this! There’s another cafe society thread going on about whether you still find your childhood celebrity crushes attractive, and I have to admit Capt. Kirk was one of my crushes (I was 6 when ST:TOS first aired). He is a big goofball but I still find him totally entertaining.
OK, about Jason Alexander, I heard him interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR during the peak of Seinfeld. He was definitely very nice and self-effacing. One remark I remember was he described himself something like “Hamlet in Falstaff’s body”, or maybe it was Romeo in Falstaff’s body, but anyway point being that he had the heart of a hero, but not the looks and he knew it. He made fun of his own performance in early episodes of Seinfeld, saying it was like a lame Woody Allen impression until he got the hang of what he was doing.
He also said right out that George was supposed to be Larry David, that at times Alexander & other Seinfeld cast members would question some of the mishaps written for George to get into, and Larry David would say, Well actually that really did happen to me.
Um, what? You actually had me laughing out loud at that one!
Back on topic, wasn’t there someone here who said he ended up playing cards with him but had no idea who he was, and then Jason said “Thanks for not making a big deal that I’m here” as he left? I understand he’s not George Constanza, but I’ve heard a couple of stories of his arrogance…
He has served as the national spokesman for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, which was also his designated charity for his appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy. His sister is afflicted with this disease, and he frequently makes appearances to raise money for research.
JA also turned up as a special guest at the ‘MAGIC Live!’ convention in Vegas in 2007. He was interviewed in front of the convention crowd for about half an hour, talking about his interest in magic and his performances at the Magic Castle and elsewhere. The fact that he agreed to show up would suggest that he isn’t an egomaniac. (By way of contrast, Copperfield never shows up at conventions, although many of his back-room team do).
For the most part, JA came across as a pleasant, chatty, likeable guy with a sense of humour who was appropriately modest about his magical talent and experience. He didn’t actually perform at the convention, but friends who have seen him perform at the Magic Castle said he was okay, albeit he played it safe.
I think there is a little bit of egotism about him, but a forgivable amount. It is often said that showbiz people need a bedrock of egotism in order to succeed in a business where setbacks, hard knocks, fierce competition and harsh reviews are the norm.
Not sure how true, but the brother of a good friend of my wife’s told us of an incident in New York in the early 2000’s. At the time, the brother of my wife’s friend was a waiter and the story goes that Jason Alexander came into the restaurant about 20 minutes before closing with two companions. When Jason was told that the place was closing soon and the kitchen was closed, Jason said arrogantly “Do you know who the f*%k I am? Get your manager out here!” So the guy calls his manager who comes out and Jason makes a fuss about how he’s in town and wants them to open the kitchen “pronto” and added “don’t worry your sweet asses, you’ll get a good tip.” The manager apologized but the kitchen was closed when Jason apparently muttered “unf*%ken-believable,” to which the manager, having had enough, suggested an all-night diner on Broadway, which apparently was the dinner that appears in the Seinfeld show. Jason apparently laughed and gave the middle finger and walked out. True or not, it was a funny image and story.
Re: JA not getting work, his Seinfeld money allows him to work as much or as little as he wants. I wouldn’t put much stock in him not being able to get a job because he’s a dick.
He was a judge at a musical theatre workshop I attended. I remember being very
impressed by his intelligence and knowledge – he spoke brilliantly when he critiqued the show.
Stood behind him in line at a Starbucks once. I didn’t speak to him, only noticed how bad his hair looked. Really bad dye job or hairpiece or some combination. He was lowkey and didn’t throw off any diva vibes. If anyone recognized him no one approached but that’s kind of normal in Los Angeles.
