Putting a finale together can be a very tough task. Not only is there the pressure to send off the fans content, but the same holds true for the cast in regard to keeping things together, and avoiding their emotions. We saw a snippet of that on Friends, not only was the cast emotional, but David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston would not let go of their hug during the "I got off the plane" scene.
As for Seinfeld and the show's last episode, things were different. As we'll reveal in the following, Jerry Seinfeld was very focused on bringing the episode together in the best way possible. However, he did have one emotional moment with the cast prior to the finale. We'll reveal what Jerry said, and how the cast reacted to it.
Michael Richards Didn't Stick Around After The Finale And Left Quickly
Michael Richards understood the buzz and hype around the finale. However, on-set, it was business as usual for the actor, who managed to keep his focus for the episode. Although some stayed around after the filming of the show, Michael Richards treated things like a normal day. He already had his bags backed and was off once the episode was shot.
Speaking alongside Variety, Richards reveals he didn't take the time to process the moment and what had transpired.
“I always was sort of ready to go after an episode. I never lingered anyway throughout the years. So I was out the door fast, and my bags were packed, so to speak. It didn’t really hit me until much later, really. I would have to even say maybe a few years later, what I had been through, to catch up with it all. I just realized gratitude and was just really in awe of what we had accomplished."
Richards would have a moment of gratitude after the show came to an end, reaching out to Larry David and thanking the man behind the camera. Though Michael admits he should've done so during the show.
"I remember I was calling Larry and saying, ‘I just wanna thank you…’ you know? Probably all of that all should’ve been said while we were making the show, or certainly the night that we ended the show.”
Although Jerry himself was also very business-like as well during the last episode, he did share an emotional moment with the cast prior to the finale.
Jerry Seinfeld Did Have On Emotional Message For The Cast Prior To The Final Episode
Jerry Seinfeld turned down millions to continue Seinfeld. Ultimately, he felt as though it was time to end the show, and do so on a high.
Although Jerry and the rest of the cast didn't show much emotion, there was one memorable moment that took place between the main four. Speaking alongside Variety, Alexander recalls the emotional moment of Jerry thanking his co-stars for their contributions over the years.
"Julia, Michael, Jerry, and myself — and we would do this ridiculous thing called ‘the circle of power,’ which was nothing more than the four of us kind of huddling up and going, ‘Have a good show.’ It really was nothing else, it was just silliness. But on our final introduction to the audience on tape night we got into the circle of power and Jerry said, ‘I just want to say something to you guys…’ Already this has a serious tone, which is unexpected."
He continues, "And he said this really beautiful thing. He said, ‘For the rest of our lives when anybody thinks of one of us, they will think of the four of us, and I can’t think of any people that I would rather have that be true of."
Once the emotional speech was done with, it was time to go to work, which was a lot easier said than done after such a moment.
"And as we all began to weep over the fact that Jerry had said that, that’s when they started calling our names and we had to go out and pretend that everything’s just hunky dory.”
As for the rest of the episode, Jerry was completely focused.
Executive Producer Alec Berg Revealed Jerry Seinfeld Was Just Trying To Ensure The Finale Worked, And Had No Emotions
Executive Producer Alec Berg got to work alongside Jerry Seinfeld for years. During that time frame, he never saw Jerry nervous or out of sorts. That held true for the finale. Jerry had one thing in mind and that was to shoot a final episode that made sense.
Berg reveals with Variety, “I’ve never seen Jerry nervous. I’ve never seen him out of sorts. I’ve never seen him thrown for a loop. …My sense was that was his approach to the finale was just ‘OK let’s make sure this works and that works.’ He was very rational."
Jerry looked confident in his decision to end the show and at no point did he look regretful.
"It didn’t feel like he was emotional or I didn’t see any crying or like. ‘Oh my god, what have I done? I wish we could keep going!’ I think he just felt like. ‘This is the right call, I’m confident in it, and we’re going to do it this way, and we’re going to make it good.'”
Although the reception for the finale was mixed, Jerry and the cast kept things very professional behind the scenes.
