It’s hard to imagine ‘Seinfeld‘ without Elaine Benes. Her sarcastic lines, hilariously bad dance moves, and her “spongeworthy” standards made the show worth watching. Yet, you’ll be surprised to know that Elaine was never supposed to be there.
When the very first pilot aired back in 1989, Julia Louis-Dreyfus wasn’t even part of the cast. Instead, Jerry and George hung around with Claire, a snarky waitress at Pete’s Luncheon. And, Elaine only came about because of a pushy note from NBC. So how exactly did one of television’s greatest characters almost vanish before she even arrived?
‘Seinfeld’ Pilot Looked Nothing Like The Hit Sitcom
If you tuned in for the pilot, you’d barely recognize it as ‘Seinfeld.’ Michael Richards’ character wasn’t even Kramer yet, and the OG hangout place wasn’t Monk’s, it was Pete’s Luncheon. And instead of Elaine, there was Claire, the waitress, played by Lee Garlington. Claire wasn’t a bad fit, though, and matched Jerry and George’s banter easily. But according to Jason Alexander, she made one fatal mistake.
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In a 2010 interview with Kevin Pollak, he said, “There was no Elaine in the pilot. It was Kramer, George, Jerry, and a waitress. A very fine actress who made the critical error of suggesting to Larry [David] that she’d looked at the scenes overnight and made a few tweaks she wanted to share.“
And that didn’t go over well. Call it Larry’s ego or just the wrong timing, Claire didn’t make it past episode one. By the time the show returned with more episodes, she was gone. And to replace her came in a brand-new character: Elaine Benes.
Things spiraled so much that eventually, NBC had to step in. While the original idea was simply “three guys hanging out,” they didn’t want a show with no female perspective. So Larry and Jerry went back to the idea board, and a character loosely inspired by their friend, comedian Carol Leifer, became their answer.
So, the final criteria for the role were to be confident, stylish, funny, and most importantly, just as flawed as the guys. And that ‘much-needed edge’ gave the show a dynamic balance it badly needed.
The Casting Of Julia Louis-Dreyfus Was A Game-Changer
Many women read for the role, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus sealed the deal almost instantly. The story goes that she walked into her audition wearing cowboy boots, and everyone in the room knew she had the edge they were looking for. Her wit and her ability to hold her own against Jerry and Jason made her stand out immediately. Her timing, her wit, and her ability to hold her own against Jerry and Jason made her perfect for the role of Elaine.
But Julia wasn’t the only strong contender. Megan Mullally, who later became iconic as Karen Walker on ‘Will & Grace’, was very close to landing the role. Years later, she confirmed on ‘Watch What Happens Live‘ that she thought she had it. She said, “I went in just a couple of times [to read with Jerry], but we had really good chemistry and everything, so I actually thought I was gonna get it.“
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Though she didn’t win the role, Mullally still made it onto Seinfeld in a 1993 episode as George’s girlfriend. We saw how she dumped him after the infamous double-dipping fight at a funeral, but the cameo kept her tied to the show. Later, she and Julia reunited on ‘The New Adventures of Old Christine.’
Once Elaine joined the cast, Seinfeld got its rhythm. Sure, she wasn’t the picture-perfect girl out there, but it was her ‘mess’ that made her so much relatable. In one of the most popular episodes, “The Contest,” we see how Elaine insists on joining the men in their infamous bet and nearly wins. Julia later said in a 2020 reunion, “It’s a very feminist point of view. It was set up like she’s going to win. She has to sort of fight to get her way in. It was very important. It’s a very important cultural moment for that reason.“
If Claire, the waitress, had stayed, if NBC hadn’t sent that note, if Julia hadn’t walked in wearing cowboy boots, or if Megan Mullally had edged her out, we probably would have never met, and it would’ve been unrecognizable. So, thank goodness all of that worked out. Otherwise, we’d be missing the heartbeat of one of the greatest sitcoms ever made!
