Comedian Jerry Seinfeld said he believes the movie industry no longer has the cultural sway it once did.
The 69-year-old shared his thoughts during a newly published interview with GQ. Despite his feelings about the industry, Seinfeld is currently promoting his new Netflix film, “Unfrosted,” about the rivalry between cereal brands Kellogg’s and Post. Seinfeld wrote and directed the comedy film and has a starring role.
“It was totally new to me. I thought I had done some cool stuff, but it was nothing like the way these people work,” Seinfeld said of getting into the movie industry after so many years of focusing on other entertainment endeavors. “They’re so dead serious! They don’t have any idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea.”
“Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives,” he continued. “When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see.”
The interviewer followed up by asking what has replaced movies in the culture. “Depression? Malaise? I would say confusion. Disorientation replaced the movie business,” he answered. “Everyone I know in show business, every day, is going, ‘What’s going on? How do you do this? What are we supposed to do now?’”
Seinfeld next compared the film industry to comedy.
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“I’ve done enough stuff that I have my own thing, which is more valuable than it’s ever been,” the comedian went on. “Stand-up is like you’re a cabinetmaker, and everybody needs a guy who’s good with wood. … There’s trees everywhere, but to make a nice table, it’s not so easy. So, the metaphor is that if you have good craft and craftsmanship, you’re kind of impervious to the whims of the industry.”
“Audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake,” he added. “It’s like platform diving. You could say you’re a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or you aren’t. That’s what people like about stand-up. They can trust it. Everything else is fake.”
“Unfrosted” debuts on Netflix May 3.