Michael Richards, the beloved, wacky star of the much-Emmy’d comedy series has broken ranks with costars Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and decided to participate in an upcoming DVD about the show.
Until now, all three stars have passed on participating in the project due to financial woes—reps for all three actors have said their clients were unhappy with their payoffs from the continually successful show and they didn’t want to work for free.
But Richards finally caved to pressure after talking things over with series star Jerry Seinfeld over the weekend. He does maintain that he would like to receive some cash for participating, particularly since others like Seinfeld, co-creator Larry David and several others involved in production are still making money on the show.
"I think everyone wants to get paid," Richards told the New York Times. "Is it honorable for those on the inside to make compensation? That's an ethical question they have to deal with. But I never heard back from anybody."
It seems unlikely that Kramer will cash in for his participation, since actors don’t generally get paid on residual deals like DVDs. "I innocently asked a question. 'Is there some compensation?' I don't believe there is," Richards told the Times. "There isn't anything."
Still, Richards says he is going to do his part to make the DVD a success. "I'm not boycotting," he told the Times. "I'm involved. I was never called to do an interview. I am so for the DVD coming out that I'll go on the Tonight show."
Elizabeth Clark, a rep for Seinfeld, says the actor still has hope that the erstwhile George and Elaine will come around and that he plans to get in touch with them in the New Year. "He hopes they will participate in the DVD," she said in a statement.
But whether Alexander and Louis-Dreyfus sign on or not, the DVD is likely to be a smashing success. Seinfeld was consistently a No. 1 show and a mainstay of "Must-See TV" on NBC throughout its run from 1990 to 1998. Even today, it still runs relentlessly in syndication and generates millions for its Seinfeld and David, co-creators and executive producers.
Seinfeld, meanwhile, is having no trouble keeping his pockets lined even without the help of his hit show.
The star has landed a deal to write, produce and star in Bee Movie, a computer-animated feature-length flick for DreamWorks. (As reported by E! Online)
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