Jason Alexander Confesses The One 'Seinfeld' Castmate Who Was 'Impossible' To Work With

To this day, when audiences see Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, or Jason Alexander, they think Seinfeld. The show's basically entwined with the actors' DNA at this point! A ravenous fan base keeps searching for new tidbits of information about their favorite show, and the stars aren't afraid to deliver.

Jason Alexander has been one of the most vocal members of the Seinfeld cast. Maybe it's because no one else embodies the show quite like George. And even 20 years on from the end of the sitcom, Alexander deals with regular questions about his days on set. Ones about how he got on with his castmates, for example...

In 2020, while on the Australian show The Project, Alexander was asked about his friendships with the rest of the main Seinfeld cast. For nine years, the quartet played the very best of buddies — but what did they think of each other in real life? The actor gave a surprising answer.

"We were never social friends. We were work friends. We had very different lives,” the star said. “But we really hung out with each other at the show. We were workmates. After nine years, when the show ended, we kind of went, ‘Oh, bye, see ya!’" And compared to some other interviews he'd given, this answer was pretty tame!

One of Alexander's more shocking bombshells dropped during a radio interview with Howard Stern, and it may have caught Seinfeld fans totally off guard. The shock jock didn't mince words when bringing up the touchy subject, either.

"There's a great part of Seinfeld where they wrote in a love interest for you, Susan," Stern began. "The story goes that she was killed off because you couldn't stand working with her. Is that true?"

Alexander hesitated to answer at first, making clear that what was about to come next wasn't going to be pretty. But could there really have been that much bad blood between Seinfeld's famously mismatched couple?

Sure, Alexander's character had spent almost the entire on-screen relationship trying to break things off, with the couple's engagement in season seven only adding fuel to the fire. But that was all part of the show, right? Surely there couldn't have been any actual animosity between the two actors.

Even when Susan, played by Heidi Swedberg, was famously killed off in the season finale, it may have seemed as though all was fine behind the scenes. But Alexander made it clear that this wasn't the case.

"I couldn't figure out how to play off of her," the actor revealed to Stern. "Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring." He dug into exactly what he meant.

Alexander explained that he found himself constantly adapting to Swedberg's take on a scene, only to have her switch up her approach time and time again. Soon, the actor was reaching the end of his rope. But as the pair's lack of chemistry was clear from the start, at least he wouldn't have to deal with Swedberg much longer.

Unfortunately, just three episodes into Swedberg's stint, showrunner Larry David decided she was here to stay — and that Susan and George would be getting hitched! Alexander, unsurprisingly, was livid, and he recalled to Stern the moment he got the call about the news.

"[David] calls me up at the beginning of the season and says, 'Good news. I've got a great arc for you this season: you're going to get engaged.' I said, 'Oh, that's great! Who do I get engaged to?' He said, 'Susan.' And I went, 'Oh, great! Who's playing George?' Because it was such a disaster."

Even more frustrating for Alexander was David's rationale behind the casting choice. He claimed that what made Swedberg such a good fit was that the writing team could do the most horrible things to her, and yet the audience was still on George's side. Unsatisfied with this answer, Alexander soon went behind his costar’s back to levy some major complaints.

Alexander tried, again and again, to explain how difficult it was to work with Swedberg. Much to his frustration, though, David and the other members of Seinfeld's "core four" continually wrote him off. Then, toward the end of season seven, something happened that made Susan's lack of chemistry with George too glaring to ignore any longer.

As Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus started sharing more scenes with Swedberg, they began to realize just how right Alexander really was. And so, during a dinner with the main cast, they decided to make their feelings known.

"They go, 'You know what?... It's impossible,'" Alexander revealed. "Julia actually said, 'Don't you want to just kill her?' And Larry went, 'Ka-bang!'" With that, Swedberg's fate was sealed (no pun intended), and now, some 20 years later, fans finally know why. But the backlash to these remarks was swift — and brutal.

Alexander's comments soon prompted a wave of intense pushback. Some accused the main Seinfeld cast of treating Swedberg poorly just because she wasn't one of the "core four." This led Alexander to come forward to clarify his remarks once and for all.

The actor explained that he had nothing against Swedberg personally and that Seinfeld and David were pleased with how she had brought Susan to life. He even revealed that Swedberg had approached him for advice on her performances.

"[Swedberg] was generous and gracious, and I am so mad at myself for retelling this story in any way that would diminish her," Alexander shared. "If I had had more maturity or more security in my own work, I surely would have taken her query and possibly tried to adjust the scenes with her. She surely offered. But I didn't have that maturity or security."

Fortunately, Swedberg's infamous exit from Seinfeld didn't do much to damage her career, as she went on to land roles in Roswell, Gilmore Girls, and Bones. These days, however, the actress' life revolves around a new passion.

The star broke into the music industry! A member of both Heidi Swedberg and The Sukey Jump Band and the Smoking Jackets, she now dedicates a lot of her time to performing at festivals and teaching music to children. But when it comes to Seinfeld, things actually could've ended much differently.

Following David's departure from the show at the end of season seven, producers actually considered canceling Seinfeld for good. And if they had, Susan's fate would've been far less morbid than her death-by-envelopes.

Instead, she and George were supposed to get married and live unhappily ever after, with the miserable union causing George to cut off the rest of the gang for good! But this wasn't the only Seinfeld plan that didn't come to be.

Seinfeld could not have gotten off the ground without both Larry and Jerry at the helm, but they were also the yin and yang of the show. They were like polar opposites, which also led to some long-standing disagreements.

For instance, you might be surprised to hear that Larry David has no idea why Seinfeld remains so popular. “I really don't get it, other than — and it's not very profound — it's funny. And when something's funny, people like it,” he explained.

Perhaps that's because Larry David never expected to be behind the world's biggest sitcom. Back in the 1980s, he was a struggling stand-up comic. He lived in New York, across the hall from his weirdo neighbor Kenny Kramer.

David did land a job on the ABC variety show Fridays — alongside Michael Richards — and find some success in clubs around New York, but he wasn't a world-beater by any stretch. Larry was lightyears behind the top comic of his generation.

Jerry Seinfeld's comedy career took off just a year after he first approached the microphone. Appearances on The Tonight Show and HBO cemented him as the premier up-and-coming star. Jerry was cocky enough to believe he deserved it too.

Even so, that didn't blind him from other comedic talents, particularly the grumpy wit of Larry David. They had a mutual appreciation for mocking the mundane. It made sense for them to work together on a TV project.

Their soon-to-be hit sitcom started out as The Seinfeld Chronicles, which they based on their lives as New York comics. David based the character of Kramer on his own eccentric neighbor and modeled George Costanza after himself.

Hilarious as he was, David didn't think he had the chops to star in a TV show. Besides, he had to take on more of the production and writing responsibilities since Jerry was busy on camera. But running a sitcom took its toll on David.

Early on, it was easy to understand why. Both NBC executives and mainstream audiences were slow to pick up on the offbeat and niche humor of Seinfeld. Many days, Larry said he was going to flat-out quit.

And on other days, he simply lamented that they were going to be cancelled. Seinfeld easily could've gotten the axe after a season or two based on its lackluster ratings. But viewers started to pick up on the Jerry-Larry magic.

The show suddenly caught on like wildfire, coining timeless catchphrases — yada, yada, yada — and making Jerry Seinfeld a superstar. Larry David, despite his equal contributions, wasn't exactly a household name.

But his fingerprints were all over the show. From conceiving the characters' misanthropic point-of-view to voicing George Steinbrenner, Larry David was essential. The cast and crew all knew that, but couldn't believe how miserable he was the entire production!

Not only did David constantly doubt that he was good enough, he didn't work well with NBC. Jerry, the conciliatory one, could take notes and make compromises. Larry was more protective of his writing and ideas, and he reached a breaking point.

After seven seasons, David was spent. He left Seinfeld behind for its final few seasons, and many fans felt the show lacked its bite and grounded tone without him. However, Larry did step back in for the series finale.

But with a new century looming, David was more interested in showing that he was more than a one-hit wonder — and that he could finally get in front of the camera. He was dismayed when his attempts at movies flopped.

But Larry very much had the last laugh with Curb Your Enthusiasm. Airing on HBO, it gave him the flexibility and profile to tell whatever stories he wanted. Plus, Curb outlasted Seinfeld! Did Jerry have any hard feelings about his longtime partner going solo?

It became evident that he was nothing but happy for David. Jerry too, with his return to stand-up, sought to distance himself from their '90s heyday. Proving they were still friends, David gave Jerry and the other Seinfeld stars guest spots on Curb.

Though neither has much interest in dwelling on the past, David and Seinfeld remain good friends. They each know the real personality of the other, not the character they play for entertainment.

Larry in particular takes issue with fans conflating him with his Curb alter-ego. “I think most people think that I'm miserable. Or that I'm a very disgruntled person. But I'm not. I have a very good disposition,” he insisted.

But both guys know these misconceptions are just the minor downsides of being incredibly successful. Seinfeld launched both Jerry's and Larry's careers, but fans often forget the many other stars who got early roles on the sitcom.

One of Seinfeld's colleagues from the stand-up circuit, Griffin appeared as the former roommate of George's fiancée Susan. Her character opened a one-woman show called 'Jerry Seinfeld, The Devil.'

In one of her first TV roles, the comedian appeared as Emily, Kramer's girlfriend who kept him awake at night with her restless leg syndrome.

The man who introduced the world to Walter White first appeared in five Seinfeld episodes as Tim Whatley. A frenemy of Jerry's, he was a dentist suspected of regifting and also converting to Judaism 'for the jokes.'

This desperate housewife was another one of Jerry's flings. Their relationship fell apart due to his uncertainty about whether or not she had breast implants. As Hatcher famously revealed, they were real and they were spectacular!

Before he helmed the Iron Man movies, Favreau played Eric the Clown. George infamously shoved Eric and several children aside when a small fire broke out at a birthday party.

Jerry cycled through many gorgeous onscreen girlfriends, including the soon-to-be Friends star. Her character posed as Jerry's wife so she could use his dry cleaning discount.

The Will and Grace actress appeared as George's girlfriend Betsy. The pair broke up after George was caught double-dipping a chip at her aunt's funeral.

On the topic of Will and Grace, Messing also appeared as Beth, a Seinfeld love interest. Jerry started dating her after her marriage falls apart until Beth revealed herself to be an anti-Semite.

Before starring in The Shield, Chiklis played the worst houseguest of all time. As Jerry's friend Steve, he got drunk in Seinfeld's apartment and brought over a prostitute.

While Jerry and George were pitching a show to NBC, Richards appears as the NBC chairman's daughter. George, unfortunately, couldn't stop staring at her low-cut shirt.

The gravelly-voiced Garrett appeared on this smash sitcom just months before the premiere of Everybody Loves Raymond. He portrayed an obsessive mechanic who steals Jerry's car.

Tomei was already an established star, thanks to her Oscar-winning turn in My Cousin Vinny. Appearing as herself, she briefly dates George before discovering he's engaged.

Bueller? Bueller? Kramer? Stein brought his signature dry sensibilities and monotone voice to Seinfeld as Shellbach, an estate lawyer.

Coming off a few seasons on SNL, Schneider portrayed Bob, a partially deaf coworker of Elaine who makes her miserable.

Before he embodied hotshot agent Ari Gold on Entourage, Piven played an actor auditioning for Jerry and George's show-within-a-show.

Shannon depicted Elaine's odd coworker Sam a couple of years after her SNL debut. Sam memorably trashed Elaine's office after she made fun of Sam for walking without moving her arms.

The former SNL writer portrayed Elaine's doctor boyfriend who struggled to get his license. Odenkirk later joined Bryan Cranston as a Seinfeld guest who became a star in the Breaking Bad universe.

Lorelai Gilmore was another one of Jerry's short-lived girlfriends. They split after an argument about her phone's speed dials — you know, back when that was a thing.

The stand-up comic and Ratatouille star appeared as a video store clerk. He clashes with George by refusing to call the current renters of a particular movie.

Keener went on to star in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Get Out. As Jerry's artsy girlfriend Nina, she paints a strangely captivating portrait of Kramer.