Sarah Silverman has recounted a tense exchange with Michael Richards on the set of Seinfeld in 1997, when the actor criticised her for flubbing a line. Silverman, then 27, appeared in the season eight episode 'The Money' as Emily, girlfriend of Cosmo Kramer, played by Richards.
On her podcast, Silverman described the first scene she shot, in which Kramer asks, 'What was that noise?' after hearing a sound. Silverman's character was meant to reply, 'It's probably the wind,' but she accidentally said 'rain' instead. Richards broke character and berated her, pointing to the window and demanding, 'Do you see rain in that window?' Silverman said she felt a 'lump in my throat' but got through the scene.
After processing the incident overnight, Silverman grew angry. 'I was just like, "F**k this guy." Nobody calls him on s**t 'cause he's Kramer from Seinfeld,' she said. The next day, when Richards tried to make small talk about buying a house, Silverman cut him off, saying, 'I don't give a f**k!' She explained that she wanted to address his 's****y behaviour' rather than pretend nothing had happened.
Silverman noted that Richards 'took it' and the pair became 'casually friendly' afterwards, with him occasionally seeking her advice on returning to stand-up comedy. She described Richards as a 'famously odd guy' and 'very talented', adding that today she might have handled the situation 'a little more mindful and less passive aggressive'.
