THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220095
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
IF THIS IS THE last season of ``Seinfeld'' on NBC, how about a spinoff in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus continues playing Elaine?
How about ``Life With Elaine?''
``No way,'' said Louis-Dreyfus, who is from Southern California, on the set of ``Seinfeld,'' which is in its seventh full season on NBC. ``I wouldn't be interested in playing Elaine for another seven years.''
No surprise there.
Louis-Dreyfus says she doesn't like Elaine, that you would have to put a gun to her head to get her to have lunch with Elaine. ``Elaine's in a rut,'' Louis-Dreyfus said. ``She needs to get a better grip on life. She needs to move on.''
That will never happen as long as Elaine is part of ``Seinfeld,'' because on that show, nobody gets a grip on life, nobody moves on.
``We play four completely pathetic, insane people who don't treat each other very well while hanging out together week after week,'' Louis-Dreyfus said.
And America loves them for it.
Elaine. Elaine. Wonderful Elaine. Wonderful Elaine, who can't find a man to hold on to.
She lusts for John F. Kennedy Jr. and settles for a garage mechanic.
``Have I been playing Elaine too long?'' Louis-Dreyfus asked.
I say no. On the sitcoms, nobody is as watchable as Elaine, unless it's Laurie Metcalf of ``Roseanne.''
``Seinfeld'' is television's highest-rated sitcom, earning millions for NBC and millions more for syndicators. With its much-to-do-about-nothing quirkiness, it is as different from the ``Honey, I'm home'' sitcoms as ``NYPD Blue'' is different from ``Dragnet.''
And ``Seinfeld'' is better than ever as the writers give Elaine and Jerry a sharper edge, a darker shade or two. Elaine confronting the ``soup Nazi'' a few weeks ago was a wonderful half hour. So was her dognapping episode.
How can the cast quit now? ``Seinfeld'' is on a roll. Again. Still.
``Things are going wonderfully well this season,'' Louis-Dreyfus said. ``The scripts are quite strong. We are having a gas. After seven seasons, it is hard to keep a show fresh, but we have done that. We have not depleted ourselves, which is a blessing.''
So, why not go on?
Louis-Dreyfus said she has nothing to go to should ``Seinfeld'' shut down except a Neil Simon film next summer. Doing another TV series any time soon does not interest her.
``How could you follow 'Seinfeld'?'' she asked. ``It would be a challenge.''
Same question. Why not go on? Perhaps they will - Elaine, Jerry, George and Kramer. Perhaps they will not.
You can be sure that NBC will throw a ton of money at them to continue, because ``Seinfeld'' is the bedrock for the network's ``must-see-TV'' Thursday.
``Our plan is to meet in a few weeks and take our temperatures, so to speak,'' Louis-Dreyfus said. ``We'll ask how everyone feels about going on. Then we'll decide.''
There was no Elaine when ``Seinfeld'' began as a four-week special, ``The Seinfeld Chronicles.'' When Seinfeld and his co-producer, Larry David, decided that the show wasn't working as a boys club, he called in Louis-Dreyfus with whom he had worked on ``Saturday Night Live.''
Her three-year tenure on ``SNL'' is nothing more than a line on her resume, she said, adding, ``It was not my best work.''
She recently stepped out of the Elaine character to play Tina on ``The Single Guy,'' which is produced by her husband, Brad Hall. Tina, with her red hair and dark lipstick, is turned on by danger such as doing it on top of the Brooklyn Bridge.
``Elaine is a little nuts,'' said Louis-Dreyfus, ``but Tina is totally nuts. She's certifiable.''
Don't be surprised if Hall talks her into a doing another turn as Tina. And don't be surprised if the cast of ``Seinfeld'' returns for an eighth season on NBC while Louis-Dreyfus and the others are still masters of their domain. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
KEYWORDS: INTERVIEW PROFILE by CNB