NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� has been responsible for more movies than you think.
Yes, he co-wrote and lent his voice to 2007鈥檚 鈥淏ee Movie.鈥� But before that, 鈥淪einfeld鈥� 鈥� where going to the movies, with or without the aid of Moviefone, was nearly as regular a destination as the coffee shop 鈥� gave birth to dozens of (fake) films. 鈥淩ochelle, Rochelle.鈥� 鈥淧rognosis Negative.鈥� 鈥淪ack Lunch.鈥�
But nearly three decades after Seinfeld was, in one episode, cajoled into bootlegging 鈥淒eath Blow,鈥� he has finally made his first film. Seinfeld directed, co-wrote and stars in a star-studded comedy about the invention of the Pop-Tart premiering May 3 on Netflix.
The film, which co-stars Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant and others, is an outlandish, 鈥淢ad Men鈥�-inspired 鈥�60s-set satire in which Kellogg鈥檚 and Post Cereal are engaged in a cutthroat race to 鈥渦pend America鈥檚 breakfast table.鈥�
鈥淲hen you see any scene of it you go, 鈥榃hat is that?鈥� And I was very happy about that,鈥� Seinfeld said in a recent interview. 鈥淚 like that you look at it and go, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know what this is.鈥欌��
For Seinfeld, who has resolutely stuck to stand-up since 鈥淪einfeld鈥� ended in 1998, it鈥檚 a rare post-sitcom project, joining a short and sporadic list including the short-lived reality series 鈥淭he Marriage Ref鈥� and the popular streaming show
鈥淯苍蹿谤辞蝉迟别诲,鈥� though, returns Seinfeld to one of his abiding passions. Remember all those cereal boxes in his apartment on 鈥淪einfeld鈥�? The Pop-Tart is a particular fascination, though. In his 2020 comedy special 鈥�23 Hours to Kill,鈥� it formed an extended bit beginning with the childhood memory: 鈥淲hen they invented the Pop-Tart, the back of my head blew right off.鈥�
For Seinfeld, the Pop-Tart has an almost mythical quality. A movie about Oreos or Milk Duds or even Junior Mints wouldn鈥檛 work, he says. But the Pop-Tart is different.
鈥淎 lot of it is the word. It鈥檚 a funny word,鈥� says Seinfeld. 鈥淚 heard Mattel is trying to do a Hot Wheels movie. That could work. Certain things really got us when we were kids, you know?鈥�
In a wide-ranging interview, Seinfeld discussed subjects large and small.
AP: 鈥淯nfrosted鈥� began with an old stand-up bit of yours. Is it surprising to you that you鈥檝e made a movie about it?
SEINFELD: It was all (鈥淪einfeld鈥� writer) Spike Feresten鈥檚 idea. I did not want to do it. I did not think it would work. What鈥檚 a movie about inventing the Pop-Tart? That鈥檚 not funny. And (鈥淪einfeld鈥� writer) Andy Robin came up with the idea that it鈥檚 鈥淭he Right Stuff.鈥� And I went, 鈥淥h, that鈥檚 funny.鈥�
AP: You suggested you only say you love Pop-Tarts to make the joke work.
SEINFELD: I probably just said that to make that point. But I do love Pop-Tarts. I had one yesterday. We were doing a social media piece with Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor. I took I bite and I went, 鈥淭his is fantastic.鈥� What I like about it is the man-made quality of it. I love great objects that fit in your hand in a nice way. A pack of cigarettes is one of the greatest things you can put in your hand. It just feels great. Dice feel great. I like a nice spoon. I like things. (Laughs)
AP: You鈥檝e often spoken about your dedication to sharpening and sculpting a joke. Are you still driven by that?
SEINFELD: I started a bit the other night about your kitchen sponge on the sink looking up at you going: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how much more you think I have. I was done two months ago.鈥� Now it鈥檚 just growing and growing into his monologue of your kitchen sponge telling you, 鈥淟et me go! Let me die a rectangle, not in pieces.鈥� When I lock on to something like that, I just want to see how far I can go with it, how long will they let me talk about this.
AP: You鈥檙e about to turn 70. Is that meaningful to you?
SEINFELD: No.
AP: Some entertainers turn inward when they reach their 70s, like Steven Spielberg did with But maybe this is a very personal movie for you.
SEINFELD: Very much. This is my 鈥淔abelmans.鈥� Because I鈥檓 not interested in my life. I鈥檓 interested in eating.
AP: You鈥檝e said you want to do stand-up into your 80s and beyond.
SEINFELD: To the end. To the very end.
AP: You still feel that way?
SEINFELD: Yeah. The only hard part of my life is the other things. People do ask me about slowing down and I go, 鈥淭he work part of my life is not stand-up. It鈥檚 all the other things.鈥� Stand-up is an incredible, pure experience. Surfing is the great regret of my life that I never really got good at that. I did it for two weeks one time many years ago. But if you were a surfer, you would never stop doing it. That鈥檚 what stand-up is for me. Feeling that energy, that natural life-force energy under you and around you, I never get tired of that.
AP: Are you thinking about another stand-up special?
SEINFELD: No, I鈥檓 not. ... I envy, sometimes, these little Italian artisans who don鈥檛 really care if anybody knows who they are or what they do. And stand-up can be like that. Any writing work is very lonely work. Stand-up, in a way, is kind of a private, lonely world. I鈥檓 going to Dayton, Ohio, on Friday. No one鈥檚 going to know what happened there. I鈥檓 very attracted to that. I鈥檓 more attracted to that than, 鈥淗ey everyone, I made a movie.鈥�
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To read an expanded version of this interview, visit:
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
