Patton Oswalt Reveals How He Impressed Larry David During His ‘Seinfeld’ Audition

Patton Oswalt is obviously one of the most beloved stand-ups and comedic actors working today. After all, not every performer has the power to shape multibillion dollar science-fiction franchises with random guest spots on network sitcoms. 

But there was once a time when Oswalt was still a struggling young actor, forced to take less than glamorous gigs, such as his minor role in the forgettable 1996 Kelsey Grammer-led comedy Down Periscope. 

But one of Oswalt’s very earliest roles happened to be in one of the most iconic TV shows of all time: Seinfeld. And he only secured the job thanks to his experiences working in the unrelenting hell that is customer service.

Oswalt appeared in the 1994 Seinfeld episode “The Couch,” a memorable episode to be sure, seeing as it dared to address the abortion debate in America via a pizza-based metaphor.

But Oswalt’s part had nothing to do with all that. He played an employee of the video store where George tries (and fails) to rent the movie adaptation of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s in order to fraudulently prep for a book club discussion. Oswalt’s character, simply credited as “Clerk,” informs George that the tape has already been rented, and refuses his desperate request to call up the renter and “ask them to return it.” George, of course, peeks at their address and visits them anyway. 

Oswalt recently appeared on the podcast Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum and chatted about the Seinfeld role, which was his “first acting gig ever.” He recounted that, while he wasn’t aware of it at the time, Larry David later let him in on the secret of how he came to be cast in the show.

Apparently, during his audition, as he pretended to be pestered by George, Oswalt’s customer-service instincts kicked in. “I didn’t realize I did this, but I subconsciously started looking around for what other employee can I pass this guy on to? Because I had worked in retail for so many years. And that’s what you do when you have a bad customer, you say, ‘Who do I give this guy to?’” And David thought, “Oh, I love that.”

So Oswalt’s customer service experience helped him to land a job that would ensure he wouldn’t have to go back to customer service, but it wasn’t exactly the big break he may have been hoping for. As he told People in 2018, the Seinfeld role had no immediate impact on his career. “It got me my AFTRA membership,” Oswalt admitted. But then “the money I made went right into paying my AFTRA fees. It truly had no impact, financially or fame-wise.”

Which is presumably why he was fielding underwater calls for Naval Commander Kelsey Grammer just a few years later. 

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