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Jerry Seinfeld has high praise for the late Jerry Stiller.
The iconic comedian passed away recently at the age of 92, prompting many to honor his legacy.
Now, Seinfeld, 66, is adding his voice to the choir in a recent interview on “What a Joke with Papa & Fortune” on SiriusXM’s Netflix is a Joke Radio, revealing a behind-the-scenes tidbit from Stiller’s days on “Seinfeld.”
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Seinfeld disclosed that Stiller was hired to play Frank, the father of George Costanza, after one of the show’s writers suggested the idea.
Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza in ‘Seinfeld.’
(NBC)
“I remember Stiller and Meara [a comedy duo made up of Stiller and his wife Anne Meara] from the ’60s, but I hadn’t seen Jerry in a while and I just didn’t– and I thought, well, but he’s not bald,” the actor said. “But Larry just kept mentioning him and finally we brought him in and he was so perfect.”
Seinfeld said that even packages made, which featured bits Stiller had performed on the show, were “so unbelievably funny.”
“What I loved about him is he so completes the George story. When you meet the father, you go, ‘Oh, now I understand why he’s like that,'” Seinfeld said. “It was the perfect finishing of the painting of George Costanza was Frank Costanza.”
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Stiller, Seinfeld said, made magic on the set of the show, which he found to be a perfect fit.
“He had the most amazing comedic stuff that he — we didn’t know if he was planning it or it just came out that way, or he couldn’t remember the line, or we didn’t know what it was, but we did not want to disturb it in any way,” he continued. “We never gave Jerry Stiller a note. I never adjusted his performance once. Whatever he did, that’s it. We’re putting that out there.”
Estelle Harris as Estelle Costanza, Jason Alexander as George Costanza and Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza in ‘Seinfeld.’
(Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images )
Seinfeld doubled down on his claims, explaining that Stiller’s choices as an actor may have been unclear, but they clicked.
“I don’t know why he did it like that. I don’t know why he screamed on that line. It doesn’t matter. It’s funny. So funny,” the comedian said. “I am such a dedicated believer in: ‘If it’s funny, don’t touch it.’ I don’t care why it’s funny. I don’t care what the line was supposed to be. He said it that way, we’re doing it that way.”
Many others in the world of showbiz have sung praises for Stiller since his son, Ben Stiller, announced his death on Monday.
TV host Tom Bergeron was among the first stars to take to Twitter to share a story about an interaction he had with Jerry Stiller several years ago on a plane.
“Pre-9/11, on a plane @ LAX after taping Hollywood Squares, departure delayed due to fog in NY. Flight attendants put on King of Queens. As I’m laughing I realize I’m being watched. I turn and Jerry Stiller is staring at me. ‘I love watching people enjoy my work.’ #RIPJerryStiller,” he wrote.
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“Seeing Jerry Stiller on screen instantly made you happy. Just a beloved person in comedy, in NYC, in show business in general. Sending love and condolences to @RedHourBen,” tweeted comedian Billy Eichner.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
