Jason Alexander Sorry For Offending Heidi Swedberg
Jason Alexander said he is sorry for offending Heidi Swedberg during a recent interview with Howard Stern. During the interview, which aired Wednesday morning, Alexander suggested Swedberg’s character was killed off Seinfield because she was simply difficult to work with.
As reported by IMDB, Heidi Swedberg appeared in 28 episodes of Seinfeld between 1990 and 1998. Although her character, Susan Ross, and Alexander’s character, George Costanza, had a rocky relationship, they were engaged during the series’ seventh season.
By the end of the seventh season, Susan was dead.
The death of Susan Ross remains one of Seinfeld’s most memorable storylines. During the season finale, George purchases the least expensive wedding invitations he can find. Unfortunately, the glue used to seal the envelopes is toxic.
As a result, Susan is poisoned to death while licking the envelopes. Although the storyline generated a fair amount of laughter, fans were stunned that a main supporting character was killed off the show.
Nearly 20 years later, Jason Alexander offered an explanation for Heidi Swedberg’s unexpected departure. As reported by Click on Detroit, Alexander said Swedberg “is a wonderful girl.” However, her personality did not fit in with the rest of the Senifeld cast.
“She’s a terrific girl. I love her… I couldn’t figure out how to play off her… Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring.”
According to Alexander, Julia Louis Dreyfus jokingly asked the actor if he ever “just want[ed] to kill” Swedberg. Apparently, Seinfeld creator Larry David overheard the conversation and said “now we’ve got to kill her.”
As the Howard stern interview went viral, Jason Alexander said he is sorry for criticizing Heidi Swedberg’s acting and style.
As reported by CNN, Alexander apologized to the actress through social media. The actor said he regrets retelling the story because he never meant to offend his former co-star.
“She was generous and gracious, and I am so mad at myself for retelling this story in any way that would diminish her… If I had had more maturity or more security in my own work, I surely would have taken her query and possibly tried to adjust the scenes with her. She surely offered. But, I didn’t… “
Oh dear God, leave Heidi alone Read: http://t.co/14Q5akRj38
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) June 4, 2015
Although Jason Alexander said he is sorry, Heidi Swedberg did not respond. Following her appearance on Seinfeld, she had a somewhat successful career as an actress. However, Swedberg eventually focused her efforts on a career in music.
[Image via Gustavo Caballero / Getty Images for Weissman/Markovitz Communications]
