Julia Louis-Dreyfus Opens Up About The ‘Seinfeld Curse’
Julia Lous-Dreyfus thinks the 'Seinfeld Curse' is moronic.
There’s a superstition surrounding the much-beloved, groundbreaking show Seinfeld: the cast of the show is cursed to never star in a successful sitcom again. Former cast members, including Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, have starred in sitcoms that were met with a swift cancelation. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Julia Louis-Dreyfus called the curse moronic.
“You don’t need me to prove it wrong, it was ridiculous!” she said. “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 former Seinfeld star spoke to Rolling Stone as part of an effort to promote her upcoming comedy-drama, You Hurt My Feelings. In the movie, Dreyfus stars as a woman with self-confidence issues whose husband, played by Casino Royale actor Tobias Menzies, has betrayed her. She seeks help from her sister, played by Paint actress Michaela Watkins.
The “proof” that Dreyfus has succumbed to the “Seinfeld Curse” is seen in her shortlived 2002 TV series Watching Ellie, a sitcom that had two seasons — neither of which was completed in full. The first season had an experimental approach, with each episode showing a real-time, 22-minute slice of the main character’s life — but only 10 of the 13 filmed episodes were ever aired. The second season took a more traditional approach to a sitcom but was canceled after just six episodes.
Despite the rather colorful failure of Watching Ellie, Dreyful argues that she has already proven that the Seinfeld Curse isn’t real. She starred in the well-received sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which ran for five full seasons before being canceled. She also had the starring role in the political satire Veep, which won her six Primetime Emmy Awards across the series’ seven seasons.
Despite Dreyfus proving that she is fully capable of headlining a successful sitcom, other Seinfeld actors haven’t been as lucky. Jason Alexander has starred in three failed sitcoms: Bob Patterson, Listen Up, and the animated sitcom Dilbert. Michael Richards has two failed sitcoms to his name: The Michael Richards Show and Kristie.
Wayne Knight, best known for playing Seinfeld’s Newman, might be an exception to the so-called curse. He had a regular supporting role in Third Rock from the Sun, and while his 2011 show The Exes wasn’t particularly well-received, it managed to last four seasons before cancelation.
Whether Jerry Seinfeld himself is subject to the so-called curse remains to be seen. While the famous comedian has certainly been active, he has not starred in a single sitcom since Seinfeld went off the air in 1998. Instead, he mostly makes guest appearances on other shows, including Seinfeld producer Larry David’s well-loved Curb Your Enthusiasm and Louis C.K.’s TV show Louie.
Meanwhile, Julia Louis Dreyfus managed to take her career far from her Seinfeld roots, as she has appeared in MCU projects as of late. She played S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She is also set to appear in Thunderbolts alongside Florence Pugh, Steven Yeun, and Harrison Ford.
Dreyfus’ latest film, You Hurt My Feelings, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It will release in theaters on May 26, 2023.
