Jerry Seinfeld has been a staple in the country’s comedic diet for years. He used his sarcastic and analytic humor to propel his self-titled TV show “Seinfeld” to sitcom legendary. And now, Seinfeld wants viewers to watch him in a different medium as a different character – a bee.
In “Bee Movie,” a Dreamworks production that Seinfeld co-wrote and produced, he couples his comedy with a newfound sense of identity: “If I had been born as a bee, what kind of things would I say and do?”
Seinfeld acts as the animated insect Barry B. Benson, who feels dissatisfied with his life in New Hive City post-college graduation: making honey. He blossoms after he leaves his hive and flies toward new horizons.
Seinfeld was ready to embark on a new challenge after his sitcom’s nine-season run, he said; he just didn’t find one that intrigued him enough until “Bee Movie.”
The film, which also stars Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock and Matthew Broderick, gave Seinfeld the opportunity to work with new tools and break out of his typical character, without altering the undertones of his humor.
“It wasn’t a transition for me in terms of comedy,” Seinfeld said. “But it was more learning the technology…and learning to speak the language of animation.”
But the challenge didn’t stunt Seinfeld. He was involved with every aspect of the film including the script, character design and music.
Envisioning Seinfeld as a bee may be too foreign for some fans, but he contends that he created the humor for an adult audience, though anyone will understand the film.
“There doesn’t seem to be any specific target audience,” Seinfeld said. “We’ve played it for little kids and we’ve played it for adults and college age. And everybody seems to find it funny. It was kind of the same thing with Seinfeld. We were really just writing for us and friends of ours.”
Seinfeld first recognized his talent in a friend’s basement while attending Queens College in New York circa 1975. He crafted a comedy routine about being left-handed (which he is) and told his friends to see their reactions.
“The joke was that when you’re left-handed, you always feel put down because all things that are left are associated with negative ideas like two left feet, left-handed compliment. You go to a party. ‘Where did everybody go? They left.’”
His friends deemed the routine hilarious and Seinfeld never looked back. He dabbled with various roles, including the delivery man on the 1980s sitcom “Benson.” He left the show because the directors doubted Seinfeld’s ability to make people laugh. Seinfeld wanted to write for himself.
Then came Larry David. David, the star and creator of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” partnered with Seinfeld to produce their award-winning sitcom. Seinfeld’s goal with the show – universally ranked one of the best American television shows of all time – was for people to laugh at the comedy years after its initial air, he said.
“That’s all I ever wanted from it. I hope it doesn’t seem too dated…you know, when you see us with those gigantic cordless phones.”
When asked if he will team with David again in future endeavors, Seinfeld said he still sees David all the time, most recently at the U.S. Open in New York, but “usually once you become kind of well-known and successful on your own, people tend to do their own things.”
As for “Bee Movie,” Seinfeld still awaits word about its success, though market analysts have reportedly estimated that the film will see an opening weekend of around $50 million. Still, as a comedian, he said he doesn’t feel like his job is complete until he hears audience reaction.
“I’ve been doing this for 31 years and still most of the ideas that I have for things don’t work.”
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