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ladies and gentlemen Jerry Seinfeld
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thank you
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thank you very much thank you okay now
when we first started making my TV
series in 89 we made the first episode
it was basically me George and Kramer
George was kind of a Larry David
character Larry had a funny neighbor
named Kramer so we threw him in we used
as little imagination as possible
Oh Larry and I really wanted to do was
have two guys talk in an idiotic way
about completely stupid things which is
not nothing we did not want it to be
about nothing we wanted it to be about
being stupid okay so we make the first
episode I don't think anybody liked it
that much
they eventually said okay you can make a
few more but you need a real female
character all you've got is three stupid
guys now in the TV network world of
those days when the network executives
say we have an idea to make your show
better it is always without fail without
exception the worst idea you have ever
heard which is not their fault it's not
their job to have funny ideas it would
be like if a geologist sent me out into
the desert to find the mineral bauxite I
could never find it I don't know what
bauxite is I'm not a geologist even if I
found it I would not know that I had
found it
I can't tell one rock from another this
is why most TV sitcoms are not funny
bauxite if you're not a geologist don't
go looking for it anyway when the
network tells you what they think you
should do it is called a network note
the network has a note is what they say
and in this case we thought okay that's
not a bad idea we should have a real
woman character in the show we've got
three stupid guys let's add a smart
woman that's funny my point is this
person you see over here Julia how you
doing sweetie okay it's only a couple
more hours
this person Julia louis-dreyfus who
agreed to do this part with three stupid
guys and used it to launch one of the
most brilliant and spectacular show
business careers of all time this person
is a network note that's what you're
looking at
that is a humble beginning which is also
not nothing
okay so then we fleshed the idea out a
little more we decided okay let's make
it a girl that Jerry used to date it
didn't work out but was so much fun to
hang out with they decided to continue
the relationship as friends a completely
absurd idea could never happen in real
life it's a TV sitcom it's good enough
okay so now as lame-o as all this is I
was still required as an actor to play
this situation that she and I were a
couple we broke up there was this other
aspect to our relationship that enabled
to survive what without the romantic
element you know there's some layers and
complexity to that and candidly speaking
way way beyond any acting ability that I
possess so how did I do it because
obviously I did it people bought it they
believed that they believed the
relationship and I think it's fair to
say the show went on to do very nicely
here is how I did it I just really
really like Julia I could not get enough
of her nine years I was not acting I
couldn't I thought she was funny
charming beautiful intelligent every
single second I ever spent with her on
stage and off bingo no acting required
just read the lines in the script 180
episodes syndication DVD streaming piece
of cake
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now after the show was over and I
started seeing her on other shows having
relationships with other TV characters I
can't say that was the easiest thing for
me to handle
I suffered quite a bit of fake pain from
this fake relationship but I guess
somewhere in the back of my mind I knew
that these are the things that were
required of her to do if she was ever
going to receive the Mark Twain prize so
I accepted it and I couldn't be happier
for her that tonight she is here
accepting this great honor
congratulations Jules love you
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