The Real Reason Elaine Was Added to Seinfeld (2024)

There's no denying that Seinfeld was (and continues to be) one of the most popular, influential, and entertaining sitcoms ever. With nine seasons, 180 episodes, and accolades such as being named the second Best-Written TV Series of All Time by the Writer's Guild of America in 2013 (second only to The Sopranos), Seinfeld will always have a place in every fan's heart.

A lot of that undeniable success is due to Seinfeld's primary cast of characters: the titular stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, his neurotic best friend, George Costanza, his eccentric next-door neighbor Kramer, and his former girlfriend, Elaine Benes. To be sure, it's next to impossible to imagine Seinfeld without any of these characters, but for a (very) brief period, it was. That's because Elaine Benes was a late addition to Seinfeld's cast.

Wait, Elaine Wasn't Always a Part of Seinfeld?

Everyone Always Forgets About Claire

When Seinfeld debuted with its pilot episode "The Seinfeld Chronicles" in 1989, Jerry, George, and Kramer were all present, but Elaine was nowhere to be found. Instead, the three men were accompanied by a different woman named Claire (played by Lee Garlington), a waitress who worked at a place known as Pete's Luncheonette. In the following episode, Claire and Pete's restaurant are replaced by Elaine and Monk's Cafe.

As initially envisioned by the series creators, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, Seinfeld was to feature a mix of Jerry's stand-up comedy routines combined with scenes that focused on the mundane aspects of his otherwise dull everyday life. At this early point in the series' life, neither man had considered fleshing out Claire as a primary part of the cast.

Watching "The Seinfeld Chronicles" today feels like an out-of-body experience. Compared to what was to come, this episode, in particular, doesn't feel like a piece of the series. And everyone knew the chemistry was off from the beginning. An early screening of Seinfeld's pilot in front of two dozen NBC executives in 1989 did not go well. The primary sticking point the execs seemed to have was that the cast felt too male-centric. So, Jerry and Larry went back to the drawing board.

When Was Elaine Added to the Cast of Seinfeld?

She Showed Up to Assist With the Stake Out

Following that relatively disastrous screening of the pilot episode, the NBC execs ordered Larry and Jerry to develop a strong female character to become part of the main cast. The only problem? Neither Larry nor Jerry knew how to write a strong female character. This was a fault that the two men would later parody in Season 4 of the series in a very meta-fashion when their characters are pitching the idea of a similar sitcom to NBC. During "The Shoes," Jerry and George attempt to write dialogue for the character they have decided to base on Elaine, with George ultimately declaring, "I don't know what women think. That's why I'm in therapy."

Unlike their television counterparts, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were eventually able to crack the code. To do so, they based the character of Elaine Benes on a series of women they had known throughout their lives (more on that in a moment). Once they had come up with the character of Elaine, they conducted a massive search to find the perfect actress to bring the role to life, spending a lot of time auditioning for up-and-coming comedians for the role.

Some of the names that Jerry and Larry had read for the role of Elaine Benes included such notable names as Rosie O'Donnell, Megan Mullally, and Patricia Heaton. Ultimately, however, the role went to none other than Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Somewhat surprisingly, Louis-Dreyfus had to be convinced to take Elaine on.

When Julia Louis-Dreyfus was first notified by her agent that she was in contention for the role, she read the script for the series' second episode, "The Stake Out," and connected with the material. The issue was that her character soon began appearing less and less in subsequent scripts. She told The New Yorker,

Having felt an instant kinship with the leading creative minds behind the series, Julia Louis-Dreyfus decided to take a chance and signed onto Seinfeld that weekend. Soon enough, she found herself in front of the cameras, bringing the role of Elaine Benes to life. The first scene she ever shot was the final scene of her eating M&Ms from the episode "Male Unbonding," but the first time Elaine ever appeared on TV was in episode two of the series "The Stake Out." From the beginning, it was clear that the right choice had been made. Julia Louis-Dreyfus' chemistry with her co-stars was off the charts, and Elaine quickly became "one of the boys."

Who Was the Real-Life Inspiration for Elaine Benes?

Having So Many Girlfriends Paid Off

Throughout the years, the inspiration for Elaine Benes's genesis has been attributed to a series of different women, many of them the former romantic partners of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. One of the most persistent beliefs is that Elaine was primarily based on Seinfeld's female writer, Carol Leifer.

Carol Leifer wrote numerous episodes for the series but has largely denied this. While it's true that she and Jerry used to date and have remained good friends ever since, much like Jerry and Elaine in the series, that's about where the similarities end, according to her. Instead of attributing the character to herself, Carol has suggested that many of Elaine's personality traits, including her intelligence, sense of humor, and assertiveness, were taken from Julia Louis-Dreyfus' personality.

Another popular suggestion is the one provided by Jerry Seinfeld's biography (written by Jerry Oppenheimer), in which it is suggested that Jerry named Elaine after fellow comic Elayne Boosler but based her on Susan McNabb, a writer, former actress, and model who appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the woman Jerry was dating when Elaine was first created. These two wouldn't break up until well after Elaine was fleshed out, giving credence to the idea.

Outside of Susan McNabb, Elaine Benes was also reportedly based on one of Larry David's ex-girlfriends, Monica Yates Shapiro. Rumors persist that, more so than anyone else, Shapiro provided much of the "lore"-focused details regarding Elaine's biography. The daughter of novelist Richard Yates, David's former romantic interest also inspired Elaine's father, the accomplished (and imposing) Alton Benes, who leaves such an indelible mark on Jerry and George in the season two episode "The Jacket."

Monica Yates Shapiro and Larry David dated for a few months and remained good friends after their breakup. When asked to comment on having been used as inspiration for the character of Elaine Benes, Shapiro confirmed the story, telling WCRZ.com, "[Larry] told me they wanted a woman in the show, and he thought of me and our friendship. He had written an episode about the time he met my father."

How Did The Character of Elaine Benes Impact Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Career?

She's the Only One to Break the Seinfeld Curse

Taking a chance and deciding to star in Seinfeld worked out pretty, pretty, pretty well for Julia Louis-Dreyfus. After starring as Elaine in nearly every episode of the series' nine seasons, the actress became one of the most recognizable comedians on the planet. She earned a tremendous amount of critical acclaim for her talents and recognition in the form of winning the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1996. Even more impressively, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was nominated in that category every year from 1992 to 1998.

Since then, she's continued to work consistently, more so than any of her fellow Seinfeld co-stars, who have wrestled at one time or another with the so-called "Seinfeld Curse." Whereas her male co-stars like Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, and even (to a lesser extent) Jerry Seinfeld have struggled to find their footing post-Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has starred in several films and television series such as The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep, while also becoming a member of the MCU. Those accomplishments make it all the more mind-boggling to think that Elaine Benes was almost not a part of Seinfeld at all.

Seinfeld

TV-PG

Comedy

Where to Watch

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Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 5, 1989

Cast

Jerry Seinfeld , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Michael Richards , Jason Alexander

Main Genre

Comedy

Seasons

9

Creator

Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld