10 Actors Almost Who Were Almost Cast On Seinfeld

Seinfeld is, perhaps, one of the most perfectly cast television shows ever created. Each actor embodied their roles, creating something that was nothing short of magical. Quite simply, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards captured lightning in a bottle.

However, when a television show is in the casting phase, producers consider many actors, and it’s hard to even think about anyone else playing the famous roles other than the actors audiences have come to love. Furthermore, it’s difficult to believe the show would have been as good or as popular if any of the following actors ended up on the classic show instead.

10 Rosie O’Donnell

One actress considered for the role of Elaine was comedian Rosie O’Donnell. In an interview with Howard Stern, Jerry Seinfeld says Rosie was very funny in her audition but Julia Louis-Dreyfus eventually won the iconic role.

O’Donnell herself told Stern about auditioning for Elaine but felt that Louis-Dreyfus was perfectly cast and fell into the role of the “only female in the buddy group on the show.” Instead, O’Donnell starred in several movies including The Flintstones and A League of Their Own before hosting her own successful daytime talk show.

9 Patricia Heaton

One actress who found success on a different sitcom after losing the role of Elaine was Patricia Heaton. Heaton auditioned for the part but later admitted that while her first audition went well, she felt her big second audition with Jerry “wasn’t working.”

A few years later, she would have the opposite experience auditioning with another comedian, Ray Romano, for the show, Everybody Loves Raymond. Romano instantly knew Heaton was right for the role of his wife, Debra, and, despite not landing the Seinfeld gig, ended up on another classic long-running sitcom.

8 Megan Mullally

Apparently, Julia Louis-Dreyfus almost lost the role of Elaine to comic actress Megan Mullally. In an interview with Howard Stern, Seinfeld said “You know who was very close was Megan Mullally. We liked her a lot. But then Julia came in.”

Despite not getting the Elaine role, Mullally would appear in the episode “The Implant” as Betsy, George’s girlfriend who breaks up with him after he gets caught double-dipping a chip at her aunt’s funeral. Of course, Mullally would eventually wind up on her own popular series, portraying Karen on Will & Grace.

7 David Alan Grier

Actor/comedian David Alan Grier was one of the many actors who auditioned for the role of George Costanza. In an interview with Howard Stern, Grier auditioned with Jerry but gladly left the room thinking that the show “would never go,” but then upon seeing it, when it aired, wished he had been better in his audition.

Casting Grier might have made the show more diverse, which was a common complaint among viewers who thought the show lacked enough Black characters. However, if Grier got the role, he never would have been a part of In Living Color, a show he excelled on and one that propelled his career.

6 Larry Miller

Larry Miller is an actor, comedian, and he also happens to be Jerry Seinfeld’s best friend. Naturally, Jerry considered him for George so when Jason Alexander went to audition for the show, he discovered Miller was up for the same role, so he felt because of Miller and Seinfeld’s friendship, he had no chance.

Alexander said he had a great time auditioning but knew Miller would ultimately get the part. However, soon after, he got the call saying he won the role. In addition to appearing in many movies playing smarmy, sleazeball-type characters like in The Nutty Professor and 10 Things I Hate About You, Miller would eventually appear in the Seinfeld episode “The Doorman” as the titular doorman Jerry thinks has it out for him.

5 Chris Rock

Another great friend of Jerry Seinfeld who missed out on the role of George Costanza was Chris Rock. Again, this would have added some welcome diversity to the cast. However, Rock would have been only 24-years old at the time, younger than mid-30s Jerry Seinfeld, so the two character’s long history together wouldn’t have made much sense.

If Chris Rock got cast on Seinfeld, he never would have been cast on Saturday Night Live where he was a standout and eventually a superstar because of it. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, not only does Chris Rock say he missed out on Seinfeld but also claims to have been considered for Friends, as well.

4 Danny DeVito

A big star that missed out on the George Costanza role was Danny DeVito. The show offered DeVito the role but he passed on it. DeVito had already been a part of a classic sitcom, Taxi, and by the time Seinfeld came around, was becoming a big movie star.

Most likely DeVito believed the role would have been a step down; having to play the sidekick to a mostly unknown and untested comedian. Also, DeVito was ten years older than Jerry so the dynamic may not have been the same. Years later, DeVito would return to television, joining the cast of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

3 Paul Schaffer

Paul Schaffer is an actor but is most notable for being a composer and musical director. He was part of Saturday Night Live’s house band and then famously became the bandleader and sidekick on Late Night with David Letterman and, later, The Late Show with David Letterman.

Schaffer claims he received a phone message from Jerry, offering him the role of George Costanza, without having to audition, but Schaffer thought “what kind of a show could Jerry Seinfeld possibly get?” so he never returned the call. However, Seinfeld disputes this, saying that it was “not true.”

2 Tony Shaloub

Perhaps the role that’s toughest to imagine anyone else in is Kramer. Michael Richards brought the role to life in a way that is unique, original and unlike anyone else ever could. One actor considered for the iconic role was Tony Shaloub. He ended up not getting it and instead landed a role on the show Wings.

However, years later, after Seinfeld ended, Michael Richards was offered the role of Detective Adrian Monk on the show Monk but turned it down. He instead created his own offbeat detective show, The Michael Richards Show, which was quickly canceled. Ironically, Tony Shaloub took the part of Monk and the show became one of cable television’s most popular comedies.

1 Larry Hankin

One actor who auditioned for, but did not receive, the role of Kramer actually ended up playing him in a meta-way, years later. Actor Larry Hankin auditioned for the part and didn’t get it, but seasons later ended up being cast as Tom Pepper, the actor who portrays Kramer on the show within a show, “Jerry,” that George and Jerry create.

Hankin and Richards knew each other so Richards recommended him for the role. Based on his performance in the episode, it’s clear Hankin might have been good at actually playing Kramer. However, his whole performance is based on what Michael Richards created, so who’s to say if Hankin would have initially brought the same magic. Hankin has had a long career and would go on to appear as Mr. Heckles on Friends and Old Joe on Breaking Bad.

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