‘Soup Nazi’ role on ‘Seinfeld’ was life-changing for Larry Thomas
Twenty years ago, Larry Thomas was an unknown character actor scrambling for jobs in Los Angeles. A friend of a friend of a friend helped him land an audition for an episode of “Seinfeld.”
Thomas wasn’t given a script. All he had to work with was the title of the episode. “The Soup Nazi.” “I didn’t know that the ‘Soup Nazi’ was based on a real person. I didn’t know that there was a person named Al Yeganeh who had a soup stand on 55th Street and Eighth Avenue in New York City. So I had to imagine what someone called the ‘Soup Nazi’ would be like,” Thomas said.
“I’ve always done dialects in my career. I look more foreign than American, even though I was born in Brooklyn. I was told that ‘Seinfeld’ was always looking for ethnic New York City characters. I had to develop a character based on only two things: the word ‘Nazi’ and he’d be ethnic. I imagined a militaristic food vendor who would get on Jerry Seinfeld’s nerves in the show.”
Thomas decided on a Middle Eastern accent, inspired by
watching Omar Sharif in “Lawrence of Arabia.” He did the audition wearing an Army uniform and beret.
“I looked like Saddam Hussein,” he said.
The audition went well and Thomas was called back for a second interview. This time, Seinfeld, show co-creator Larry David, the episode’s writer Spike Feresten and other staff writers were in the room. Thomas let them have it — he did the “Soup Nazi” pretty much as “Seinfeld” fans remember from the show, ultra mean, over the top and wildly funny.
As memorable and iconic as his portrayal of the “Soup Nazi” is now — an Emmy nomination, a cottage industry of “Soup Nazi” products and memorabilia — Thomas did not land the role immediately.
“I found this out years later. Jerry and some others were worried about casting an unknown actor for such a big role. Two other actors, with more experience, were being considered: Tony Shalhoub (“Monk”) and Richard Libertini (the guru in “All of Me” and the South American dictator in “The In-Laws”). Jerry told Spike that since he wrote the episode, he could decide who got the part,” Thomas said.
Feresten picked the “angry New York guy.”
“That’s how he referred to me,” Thomas said.
Seinfeld had some more tweaking to do with the “Soup Nazi.” He wanted Thomas to play the character a little softer, not as mean.
“Those four days filming ‘Seinfeld’ were wonderful. Before we shot the scenes in the soup stand, Jerry told me to forget what he suggested, and play the character as I imagined it. Jerry has great instincts, and he’s willing to step back and let actors do their work. All he cared about was the show being funny,” Thomas said.
Thomas still hadn’t met the real-life “Soup Nazi,” who did not like the “Seinfeld” episode and bristled if anybody thought that the show made him famous. Yeganeh would insist it was the other way around — his soup already was a sensation in New York, lines around the block, and Seinfeld, the person and the show, were “clowns.”
It was the word “Nazi” that set Yeganeh off. I met him a couple of years after the episode aired in 1996. He asked me, “How would you like to be called a Nazi, a Hitler, the worst, most evil people who ever lived?” Point taken. Call him the “Original Soupman.” And he’s back with a line of soups now on supermarket shelves. And his company’s spokesman is … Larry Thomas, sounding and looking like he did 20 years ago on “Seinfeld.”
“Two summers ago, I was at a Brooklyn Cyclones game for ‘Seinfeld Trivia Night’ and the Original Soupman company had a food truck there. I started talking with some of the executives, and they asked if I’d rep them. I love the show and I love the soup, so it’s been a perfect match,” Thomas said.
Thomas will visit Houston-area supermarkets Saturday and Sunday, ladling free samples of Lobster Bisque, Chicken Noodle, Lentil, Crab & Corn Chowder, Jambalaya, Chicken Gumbo and more. As Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld” can testify, you might want to try the bisque.
Here’s the Soupman’s schedule: Saturday: Noon-1 p.m., H-E-B, 10161 W. Grand Parkway S., Richmond
1:30-2:30 p.m., Kroger, 8011 W. Grand Parkway S., Richmond Sunday: 11 a.m.-noon, Kroger, 12605 Interstate 45 N., Willis
2-3 p.m., H-E-B, 4517 Kingwood Drive, Kingwood
3-4 p.m., H-E-B, 4304 Kingwood Drive, Kingwood
Some advice: when you meet Thomas and tell him which soup you want, be extra polite and follow the rules. Otherwise … “No Soup for You!”
Pethouse Pet of the Week Name: Cooper Ethnicity: I’m a shepherd mix and Alaskan husky mashup.
Birthdate: Aug. 30, 2016. Just a pup with the world on a string.
Cooper’s conversation: This time, we’re going to be serious.
The criminals who poisoned several dogs at the Gimme a Bark doggie day care center in Friendswood in late November probably didn’t know who they were messing with: two of the pooches belong to pro wrestling legend Bruce “Brother Love” Prichard.
Prichard’s dogs are Wally, a Rottweiler and Chihuahua mix (if that’s even possible), and Rowdy, “who looks like Chewbacca.” His wife, Stephanie Prichard manages the facility.
Prichard didn’t take kindly to someone attempting to kill his dogs. The only part of his fiveminute rant suitable for print was, “I better not get my hands on the sick person or persons who did this. I will jack them up.”
A report has been filed with the Friendswood Police Department. There is a $5,500 reward for information leading to the arrest (if Prichard gets there first, a beatdown) of suspects who threw green rat poison pellets over the fence at Gimme a Bark.
Ten dogs were present at the time. Four dogs ate the poison and were taken to an animal hospital where vomiting was induced. All survived.
Prichard, in his wrestling persona as “Brother Love,” introduced The Undertaker to the WWE in 1990 and managed several other superstars, including Ted “Million Dollar Man” DiBiase.”
Prichard currently has a podcast called “Something to Wrestle With,” that can be downloaded on iTunes and wherever podcasts are available. He records a new episode every Friday.