20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Seinfeld
6. The Cast Were TERRIFIED Of One Of The Actors
Since Elaine's father, Alton Benes, was meant to be intimidating, it made sense to cast Lawrence Tierney in the role since he had a rep for being a tough guy. However, Tierney wasn't just "a tough guy".
He was completely insane.
Throughout his career, he regularly picked fights with anyone; civilians, cops, and co-workers. The Simpsons showrunner, Josh Weinstein, said he was the craziest guest star that ever worked on their series. Tierney was so frustrated one day while working on Reservoir Dogs, he stormed home, and blasted his shotgun, accidentally shooting his nephew. That's the level of crazy we're talking about.
As soon as the Seinfeld cast met him, they knew he had a screw loose and Julia Louis-Dreyfus referred to him as a "nut job." When Seinfeld spotted Tierney steal a butcher knife from the kitchen, he called him out on it in front of everyone. Tierney claimed he was going to use it in the scene as a reference to Psycho before putting it back.
Alton was supposed to be a recurring character but he only appeared in one episode since the cast refused to work with him again. However, they admitted Tierney was terrific in the role.