Larry Thomas, aka "The Soup Nazi," discusses residuals -- you won't believe what he was paid to be on #Seinfeld. More of our interview at janewells.substack.com/p/its-...
@@peteranserin3708 it’s one of the biggest inside jokes of the show I barely watch and I know about it. Seinfeld is a little hat person what’d you expect
The Soup Nazi is one of the most iconic roles on arguably the most iconic show in history. Even people who haven't watched Seinfeld before have still likely heard of the Soup Nazi. He definitely deserves at least a mill for his part.
Years ago I was an executive at Sony, the distributor of Seinfeld. Every year there was a television convention called NATPE and my job one year was to hang out with Larry Thomas for a day. He was such a nice guy and we took a photo together. He signed an autograph for me: "Andy, thanks for all the help...but still...NO SOUP FOR YOU! Larry Thomas" Priceless!
I volunteered at a Comic-Con a few years back. I got assigned to security for the autograph line and assigned to Larry Thomas. I hung out beside Larry while he did all his autographs (soup ladles and portraits) and during the downtime we talked. I talked to him about his movie roles and how much I love the soup Nazi episode. I just have to say this guy is super nice and down to earth. He is super appreciative of his fans and was nothing but kind to me and everyone that came up to him.
I still say his best scene was from the finale: Prosecutor “Sir can you state your name?” Soup Nazi “Yev Kassem”. Prosecutor “Can you spell that please?” Soup Nazi “NO! NEXT QUESTION!” That’s gold Jerry, gold!
I just saw an interview with Jason Alexander wherein he said he, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards did not receive a residual deal once the series went into syndication. Only Jerry and Larry David have that. However, the trio did have their salaries bumped up to $1 million per episode for the final season.
It's funny hearing him describe his anxiety and paranoia about how others were reacting to his performance while so brilliantly portraying a character that is confident in himself to the point of authoritarianism. He's a very good actor.
I picked up Larry Thomas at the airport in Vegas when I was driving on Austin Powers. I didn't recognize him by name but when I met him at the gate I thought he looked familiar. I've never been impressed by celebrity and that's one thing that made me a successful personal driver. As we're heading back to the hotel we're just talking about this 'n that and he says, "I can't believe all the work I've been getting since that role." My face lit up and I said, "You're the Soup Nazi" we grinned at each other and I was actually more blown away than when I met many much more famous movie folk through the years.
This is what made Seinfeld so special, the ability to create some of the most memorable side characters in the history of TV, with the Soup Nazi being one of the best. I'm happy to hear that Larry is doing well, he deserves it for all the laughs he's brought to millions of people with that role.
I'm going to tell you something that may not go over well in a comment section like this. I have never been much of a Seinfeld fan. BUT The Soup Nazi cracked me up when I saw it.
@@CynHicks You think that's funny....check out some Curb Your Enthusiasm. My sister in law forbids my brother and I to watch it after the children are in bed!
@@sirskullington9213 I agree she was the one who made the scene funny, but unfortunately, I can't find out her name anywhere. If you know it, please share.
I just saw clip of that scene. When the cashier snatches the bag and abruptly gives back his change as if you is drawing a gun out of a holster - like bang, here's your change.
I was just explaining the Seinfeld Soup Nazi to my teenage daughters! My oldest was taking us to a small drive-thru coffee business and she told us they like you to go online and look at their menu and know exactly what you want before ordering to keep the line moving. I immediately thought of him and asked what happens if you don't know, will they say, "No latte for you!" 🤣
I met Larry Thomas at a comic con in San Jose, California. He was very friendly, not at all like the Soup Nazi! I got an autographed photo that said, "No soup for you!"
I went to a signing thing at a hotel near the SFO airport in...the early 80's I guess. Yes, some Star Trek secondary people, but a bunch of older tv people were there, even a guy from Car 54 Where Are You, who was in amazing physical condition. But what knocked me out, as it was a low key affair in not to big a room, was Carroll Baker sitting at a table. I couldn't believe it. I guess Ironweed hadn't come out yet. I think. I met Jayne Mansfield at a White Front Store opening in South San Francisco. Right on the other side of a table from me..standing up. I was in my teens. I caught Sophia Loren at Macy's San Francisco when she was hawking her perfume line. A wall of suits behind her, all security. But I got close enough to take a pic of her. This was around 1978 or so. I met Tom Waits in North Beach a few years ago. With him, I have a very cool connection. He actually owes me a favor.
I met Larry 5 years ago in Richmond, TX at a grocery store where he was promoting a soup company. He was a super nice guy and allowed me to make a video of him taking a box of soup from me while saying “No soup for you!” It was fricking awesome!
That's super-cool! I love meeting celebs when they actually meant sumthin to my life. I met Cesar Milan in TX and that was awesome. 🤟 I also saw Gene Simmons but I didn't GAF 🤷
I'm not a Seinfeld fan, so when people made such a thing over "The Soup Nazi", I thought the Soup Nazi was a running gag that they returned to now and again. But, to find out all these years later that, no, that was not the case. Wow! That episode had/has some *serious* legs.
The whole episode was nuts, Kramer getting jacked by the two gay men 😂 Jerry and he running from the same men later on plus Kramer was cool with the "Soup Nazi".
The first year looked much like the "episode within the show" at NBC. Later, their production values were excellent such as camera work and editing and the memorable lines came one after another. I don't recall any from the first season.
When Seinfeld first came on Jerry did a nightclub intro and I thought 'this guy ain't funny 'missed the whole run of the series, then 1 day I was visiting mom in early 2000s who was a fan of the show,my first episode I saw was 'The Buttershave' which was a 2 parter and became hooked.Ive seen every episode umpteen times.One of the best sitcoms of all time!
For a SoupNazi, you are SUCH a nice man! I'm glad that you got recognized for your work - which was so perfect that we ALL remember it. There has not been another character like yours and I believe its what you brought to it that made it so successful. I'm glad that Seinfeld was kind in his email and that he wishes you well, as do we.
I met Larry at the Providence, RI Comic Con a few years back. We talked about chili recipes. I got an autographed ladel that says "No Soup For You!" Larry was very friendly and approachable.
To his credit, he sees how important it is to the people who approach him and doesn't treat them poorly. You could get real tired of the 'one-trick pony' aspect of it all.
As Jerry stated, when we look back on the series, we don't just think of Jerry. We embrace ALL the characters as real contributors and we have a wealth of great memories that include them. I still laugh heartily at the sport of it all. Senior from Canada
Good to hear this man is still making money from his Seinfeld scenes. The entire show was genius and the Soup Nazi was part of the whole. Well done, hope it never ends for you.
He did Scrubs episode where J.D. recognized him as the Soup Nazi but he said he wasn't. J.D. kept asking him to Say "it". When he wouldn't say it, J.D. would try to trick him by saying things like, "How doe sit go, 'You don't any soup', "I'm not giving you soup." Finally Larry Thomas yelled out, "No Soup for You!" It was a great episode.
@@personpersonson4795 DO a RU-vid search on this: scrubs my self examination You will find the episode in parts. Part 5 is not there. But you can see where JD gets Larry Thomas to say, "No soup for you" in a separate clip. There is also a full episode video but it is poor quality.
@@YouzTube99 Yes, but it is a running gag throughout the entire episode and I thought Person Personson would like to see the entire episode to put that scene in context.
Mr Thomas did a last minute Cameo for a friends Birthday and he did it in his car on the way to a family function of his; his Soup Nazi performance didn't miss a beat......Brilliant! Keep reaping the rewards for making us happy, Cheers Mate!
Yes Seinfeld was a show I could laugh at and Larry made his episode memorable. Nice work Larry. The other best show that I couldn’t stop laughing was the car sale where Elaine says I’m breaking up with my boyfriend the car salesman and Jerry says no wait till I close the sale ( as in he will be giving me a deal) she couldn’t wait.🤣
@@suestephan3255 I was a truck salesman for 25 years and can identify more than you can imagine. But there are literally 100's of episodes that are incredible.
You are spot on... too many "interviewers" these days seem to ask the question, then provide three alternative answers then maybe let the subject speak for a few seconds before interrupting them.
I met the Rabbi once in NYC. Total gentleman. He actually wanted to talk about the show more than I did. I did an imitation of his voice in one of his episodes in front of him. "We can swing on down to Myrtle beach Elaine." He almost passed out from laughing so hard.
Yep I got Mr. Thomas's auto for my brother, amateur but pretty good home cook. Mr. Thomas was very accommodating, and it's one of my brothers most prized possessions ..... 😊😊 ❤❤❤❤❤❤ Larry embrace it!!!!!
My wife is from Fiji Islands and she’s recently stumbled into watching Seinfeld on cable tv. SHE LOVES IT!!!!!!!!! Every day I have to hear her tell me about an episode she thought was soooo funny! I love it.
@@AquaShibby3000 it’s funny I’ll be driving down a road and I’ll somehow think of something stupid George Costanza did in an episode and I’ll start laughing in the car all by myself!! All these years later it’s still funny.
True that soup Nazi character is just a television iconic person. Unforgettable. He was just great. He deserves everything he's received from that performance. Nice job!!!
I met him in newwestminster BC (suburb of Vancouver) in August 2017. He was serving soup. I waited over 2 hours until it was finally my turn for him to ladle the soup into my bowl. I asked for bread :-)
On Columbia I think? I may be mistaken but I think a friend of his owns that shop? My brother lives in Queensborough and told me he was there. I should have gone..... I just Googled it. It was The Greens and Beans Deli. Apparently he was doing it as a fundraiser for victims of wild fires, and has done it 4 times.
What Larry Thomas did was iconic. I never even considered who else could have played that role. Tony Shaloub would have been great, and very memorable, but I don't think it would have been as iconic.
Chris, my observation too. The interviewer (Jane Wells, I assume) was wonderful - she asks a question and then lets the guy talk. The guy is certainly a class act.
Not withstanding the difficulty that type-casting can be, I think his quote from Jerry was right; It is a kind of a blessing to have one thing you did come back to do so much for you later. It not only offers the direct benefit financially. But it also confirms that the work you originally did was that special or important to people.
As a 25 year old from India, I landed in the US in 1996 … and of course started watching Seinfeld… I returned in 2000…all these years later whenever we talk about my time in the US we invariably talk to TV shows and of course Seinfeld … and specifically about the Soup Nazi… so nice to see him happy and content with what life brought to him from that short cameo …
Nice to see that he is a very down to earth guy. And nice job by Jane Wells to let him just do most of the talking. That is not always as easy thing to do in an interview.
My wife and I still make "No soup for you!" jokes with each other. Best comedy writing for a TV show ever. And this actor absolutely delivered the line perfectly.
Whenever one of us says "baby I love you" we have to reply like Bender from Futurama with "shut up baby I know it!" and then proceed to pimp strut away
Larry Thomas visited New West Minister a few years back and did a meet and greet/signing for wildfire relief here in BC. I drove the 20 minutes to meet him and snap a photo. It was amazing. It was a 2 hour lineup and it was everything I hope it would be. He raised a lot of money and we got the thrill of a lifetime!
That was all just copying the actual Soup Nazi guy's set-up. I know. I got soup from that guy back in the day. Pretty much like how Seinfeld showed it. That was an actual thing. And, yeah, it was great soup.
A nice humble guy willing to make fun of himself and also to berate others in character. Love hearing about the importance of residuals for playing such characters. Good to hear he's doing well
@@josebrown5961 I'm no residual expert, but this comment appears online “All actors from the show received standard residuals as negotiated by the Screen Actors Guild at the time, generally for the original broadcast and six reruns for regular cast members,” said Jim Clark, co-author of “The Andy Griffith Show Book” and “Presiding Goober Emeritus” of the show’s fan club.
@@djtoona Yes they got exactly what they were entitled to THEN. All actors got the same deal. In my post I think I misspoke. They got residuals. They did not get them forever like later actors do. All those old actors didn’t make continuing residuals. I grew up in the 60s/70s. I watched Gilligan’s Island, Star Trek and plenty of fun shows that played on the independent station. Those actors were not paid like they are today. They got the six reruns on the original network-all subsequent runs paid them ZERO. Actors today get paid whenever the show is played. The cast of “Friends” makes millions-cuz that show gets played all over the world. That is just one example.
@@jackiechan_wtf4041 I don't like Ellen, but I wouldn't blame her for that, it's more the format. If there is a second of a pause, more than 40 seconds on a topic, slight deviation from the rehearsed interview, etc. she is going to have producers freaking out over it. Television sucks.
Set for life? He made $2500 for the job and at most was making $20k in residuals. It's a nice bum to your savings but he needed to work a full time job still.
My friend worked the convention scene for years. When Larry started doing the autographs scene early on, my friend had him sign a black plastic soup ladle in silver sharpie (or maybe it was gold). That ladle hangs on his kitchen wall next to a signed photo that's framed. Brilliant. I think Larry told him this is the first time he's ever signed a soup ladle.
He created some of the most memorable episodes EVER on Seinfeld. I'm glad he's still getting some residuals and making money from his work on that show.
When Seinfeld hit Netflix recently I was stoked to be able to watch all the episodes again. But I also wanted to introduce my 9yo daughter to it. I thought to myself "which episode would make her love Seinfeld?". We watched Soup Nazi and now she's hooked!
Certain roles fall into place for certain people who are just perfectly cut out for it and you being the soup nazi is just that. Your short role in the show is legendary, and while I enjoy cooking big time, every once in a great while I pull out the soup nazi scene and share it with friends. I'm glad your gig in Seinfeld served you well and you've fond memories of it. Thanks for sharing this video :)
You never know when a wonderful life-changing moment will come, be it an inheritance from a long lost uncle, the discovery of a Warhol original at a yard sale, or a stint as a soup Nazi on Seinfeld.
Thanks for a revealing interview about residuals from a prime time TV show. Larry was really honest and that’s refreshing from an industry where deception is considered cool.
Larry, Your Soup guy is the BEST! I am 57, and just today, was explaining how I got screwed out of pain meds last weekend, 3 weeks after major back surgery. I was basically told, "Oh, the system is down, so, No Soup For You!"
