Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the Seinfeld Curse
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has spoken out against the “Seinfeld Curse” in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. The curse speculated that no actor who starred in the series would be able to continue their success in the acting sphere.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus rose to stardom for her embodiment of Elaine on the hit sitcom Seinfeld. Since then, she has gone on to star in a variety of works, such as Veep. Louis-Dreyfus won six Emmys for her performance on the fan-favorite political satire.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Louis-Dreyfus mentioned the bittersweet experience that comes with wrapping up a project. She shared, “I think any time a project ends, it’s gutting for me.” Louis-Dreyfus continued, “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?'”
In the same interview, Louis-Dreyfus commented on the “Seinfeld curse,” asserting that the media invented it. The curse refers to the alleged lack of success for the series stars Jerry Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, and Jason Alexander following the NBC sitcoms end. Louis-Dreyfus shared her opinion on the curse, explaining, “It was invented by the media. 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!”
The curse became popular after the failure of several of the cast’s projects post-Seinfeld. Alexander’s Bob Patterson and Listen Up! both lasted only one season. Richards’ The Michael Richards Show only lasted eight episodes. Louis-Dreyfus’ Watching Ellie only ran for two seasons before it went off the air due to poor ratings.
The curse was “broken” by the success of Louis-Dreyfus’ The New Adventures of Old Christine. The series ran for five seasons and won Louis-Dreyfus an Emmy. During her speech, she exclaimed, “I’m not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby!”
To watch the series that spurred the alleged curse, Seinfeld is streaming on Netflix.
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