Seinfeld was designed for Jerry Seinfeld. So, of course, he was going to star in the leading role. His manager, George Shapiro fought networks for years to get his mega-comedian client his very own cable network sitcom. But it wasn't until Jerry was introduced to the absolute genius that is Larry David until the ball really started to roll...
But what about the other three main cast members, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Eliane), Jason Alexander (George), and, of course, Michael Richards (Kramer)?
Casting Eliane Benes
During a group interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show six years after the hotly debated Seinfeld series finale was aired, Julia Louis-Dreyfus went into detail about how she was cast on the show. Of course, Eliane Benes is one of the four main characters on Seinfeld, but she wasn't even featured in the original pilot for the series "The Seinfeld Chronicles". It was actually a network note that encouraged best-buddy co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld to write a woman into the sitcom.
And, boy, are we ever happy that they did.
However, Julia wasn't their first choice. They spent a lot of time auditioning up-and-coming comedic actresses for the role. This included Rosie O'Donnell, Will & Grace's Megan Mullally and Everybody Loves Raymond's, Patricia Heaton.
"I actually had worked with Larry David on Saturday Night Live," Julia told Oprah and the studio audience. "[It was] for one year. And we sort of knew each other. And then I got two of the first four scripts sent to me. And they were really different. And I came in and I met [Jerry]."
Because Larry had thought of Julia as a possible Eliane actor after exhausting a search when casting that role, Julia got the chance to go in and read with Jerry. Although she was taken aback by the fact that Jerry walked into the audition room with a bowl of cereal, the two absolutely hit it off.
While being interviewed by Jess Cagle, Julia said that the whole casting process felt really "casual". This is because NBC had only given the show a four-episode Season One order... So, nobody thought it was really going anywhere... Until that season aired, that is.
Casting George Constanza
Unlike Julia, Jason Alexader's George WAS included in the original pilot for Seinfeld, "The Seinfeld Chronicles". During an interview with The Archive Of American Television, Jason said that his role on Seinfeld came about 'indirectly'. In fact, it was The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner who, inadvertently, hooked Jason up with the role of a lifetime. Apparently, Rob had come to see one of Jason's plays and loved it. At the time, Jason was making a name for himself on Broadway had some clout.
"Next thing I know, there's a movie being done called Pretty Woman that Gary Marshall, [Rob's] brother-in-law, is directing," Jason said. "And I wind up, after a somewhat tortuous audition process, getting Pretty Woman. And shortly after doing Pretty Woman, Castle Rock, Rob Reiner's company, is trying to cast this George role. I'm in New York, cause I don't do L.A., and the word goes out 'put a dozen actors on tape'. And they send four pages of the pilot script. No Jerry. No Larry. Nobody to tell you what this thing is. The casting director is just a 'rent-a-room'. And no [full] script. I don't even know what the whole thing is. And I also know, nobody in New York gets a job this way. It's a formality. It's a courtesy. But you don't get a gig."
Jason, therefore, had nothing but a chance to do whatever he wanted with it. But he did recognize that the dialogue sounded similar to something that Woody Allen would have written. So, he went that way... But a little too hard... In fact, he literally did a Woody Allen impression.
However, Jerry and Larry did end up liking it and brought Jason out to L.A. to test again.
But Larry told Jason to lose the Woody Allen impression but to keep some elements of what he was doing.
However, Jason noticed that there was another actor auditioning [Larry Miller] for George that was Jerry's real-life friend. So, again, Jason thought he had no chance. But he had a great time in the room.
Once he landed back in New York, he got the call about being cast as George.
Casting Cosmo Kramer
According to The New York Post, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld had the easiest time casting the show's most different character... Cosmo Kramer.
Larry had actually worked with Michael Richards on the ABC Sketch show, Fridays. In Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's book, "Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything", it's explained that they knew Michael was perfect for the role that was based on Larry David's real-life neighbor, Kenny Kramer.
"On ‘Fridays,’ he was known for his one strange contract demand,” Armstrong wrote, claiming that Michael wanted a bag of dirt to pull-off a sketch that eventually made him a stand-out.
It was this sense of courage, daring, and wonder that made him the perfect choice for Kramer.
Thankfully, the right casting for each of these characters was made. Ultimately, it was the cast that made Seinfeld one of the most memorable and wonderful television shows of all time.