NPR
One Former ‘Seinfeld’ Writer Reflects On The Show’s Impact, 20 Years After Its Finale
By EDITOR • MAY 14, 2018
Writer-Comic, Carol Leifer on guest stars in the show
“The guest stars were always important. And, as it turns out, there were so many guest stars that went on to have huge careers. You know, Bryan Cranston was in the ‘anti-dentite’ episode. But it’s hard to believe that in 1995, which is when we shot ‘The Understudy,’ it was a little difficult to get a guest star to commit to being on ‘Seinfeld.’ And we really went after a lot of big actresses who passed on it. But what was amazing about Bette Midler, when we reached out to her, is that the writer that I wrote that episode with, Marjorie Gross, who’s sadly since passed on, she was an old friend of Bette Midler. And when we reached out to Bette Midler, having been friends with Marge and going so far back with her, she was like, ‘Oh, absolutely I’ll do it. And I’m happy to do it.’ So it was that connection that made us land the amazing Bette Midler.”
