One of the world’s top comedians has revealed he was almost cast as George Costanza in Seinfeld.
In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Chris Rock confirmed his name was being thrown around by TV executives to play Jerry’s best friend on the hit sitcom.
“There was a lot of NBC talk,” Rock said. “There was talk about Seinfeld.”
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The role ended up going to Jason Alexander who was nominated for seven Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes for his work on the show.
“Let’s just say the good people at Seinfeld, they made the right choice,” Rock said about Alexander. “He’s good; he’s amazing.”
The comedian also revealed that he was a contender for a role on another hit sitcom in the 90s.
“There was talk about me being one of the Friends at a point,” he said.
“Really?” a surprised Colbert replied.
“Yes, I would have been the black friend,” Rock said. “That’s actually who I am to America anyway.”
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Chris Rock wasn’t the only person considered for the role before it went to Jason Alexander.
David Letterman’s former musical sidekick, Paul Shaffer, revealed in his autobiography that Seinfeld originally offered him the role before the show debuted in 1989.
“There’s no audition,” Seinfeld reportedly said in a message he left for Shaffer.
“You’ve got the part. Just call us back!”
Shaffer never called him back.
