Heidi Swedberg is an American actress and musician who played Susan Ross, the fiancée of George Costanza, on the hit sitcom “Seinfeld”. She appeared in 11 episodes in season four, 16 episodes in season seven, and in a flashback in season nine’s ‘backward’ episode, but did the cast of “Seinfeld” hate working with her?
Details Behind the Rumor that ‘Seinfeld’ Cast Hated Working with Heidi Swedberg
The rumor that the cast of “Seinfeld” disliked Swedberg started after Jason Alexander, who played George, revealed in an interview that he had trouble playing off her. He said, “I couldn’t figure out how to play off her. Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine were always misfiring”.
He also said that Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine, suggested to kill off Susan’s character, which gave Larry David, the co-creator and executive producer of “Seinfeld”, the idea to do so. Interestingly after he death in the show, there were many posthumous references to her character in later episodes, which the video below highlights.
However, Alexander later clarified that he did not mean to imply that he or anyone else hated Swedberg as a person. He said, “She is a kind, lovely person who undoubtedly worked really hard to create Susan, and that character was clearly what Larry and Jerry wanted her to be for George.” He also apologized to Swedberg for any hurt he may have caused her by his comments.
Swedberg herself has not commented publicly on the rumor or Alexander’s remarks. She seems to have moved on from her acting career and focused on her music. She plays the ukulele and sings in her band, Heidi Swedberg and The Sukey Jump Band, and also performs with another band, The Smoking Jackets. She has released two albums, PLAY! (2009) and My Cup of Tea (2013).
All in all, it seems that the rumor that the cast of “Seinfeld” hated working with Heidi Swedberg is not completely true. It was more of a case of mismatched comedic styles and creative decisions that led to Susan’s demise.
Swedberg played a memorable role on one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, and she deserves respect and appreciation for that.
