TMC
01-20-2023, 09:49 PM
https://www.looper.com/1174302/jerrys-hate-for-newman-on-seinfeld-is-never-explained/
Newman organically became Jerry's arch enemy
By the time Wayne Knight's Newman was a fully established character on "Seinfeld," many fans were quoting the now-famous greeting he and Jerry would exchange whenever they came together. A simple "Hello, Newman" or "Hello, Jerry" seems basic when read off a script, yet the exchange was brilliantly hilarious on-screen. That's because those simple four words perfectly embodied the pure hatred the two characters had for one another. The catalyst of that rivalry has remained one of the biggest unanswered questions from "Seinfeld."
The characters' first real interaction had Newman vindictively planning to out Jerry for having a romantic fling with a woman whose boyfriend is in a coma. Jerry and Newman's dislike for each other began there, but the reason for this specific clash, along with future ones, was never fully understood. However, the actors themselves had their own opinions about it. For Seinfeld, the reasoning is pretty simple. "It was an instinctive dislike of the character," he said. For Knight, there was a much broader explanation. "Nobody really likes Newman," Knight said.
Fans will likely never know exactly why Newman and Jerry actually hated each other. It's possible that Jerry's love for a superhero had something to do with it. It was known throughout the series that Jerry was borderline obsessed with "Superman," and like every fictional hero, the hero must have a nemesis. For Jerry, that nemesis was surely Newman.
Newman organically became Jerry's arch enemy
By the time Wayne Knight's Newman was a fully established character on "Seinfeld," many fans were quoting the now-famous greeting he and Jerry would exchange whenever they came together. A simple "Hello, Newman" or "Hello, Jerry" seems basic when read off a script, yet the exchange was brilliantly hilarious on-screen. That's because those simple four words perfectly embodied the pure hatred the two characters had for one another. The catalyst of that rivalry has remained one of the biggest unanswered questions from "Seinfeld."
The characters' first real interaction had Newman vindictively planning to out Jerry for having a romantic fling with a woman whose boyfriend is in a coma. Jerry and Newman's dislike for each other began there, but the reason for this specific clash, along with future ones, was never fully understood. However, the actors themselves had their own opinions about it. For Seinfeld, the reasoning is pretty simple. "It was an instinctive dislike of the character," he said. For Knight, there was a much broader explanation. "Nobody really likes Newman," Knight said.
Fans will likely never know exactly why Newman and Jerry actually hated each other. It's possible that Jerry's love for a superhero had something to do with it. It was known throughout the series that Jerry was borderline obsessed with "Superman," and like every fictional hero, the hero must have a nemesis. For Jerry, that nemesis was surely Newman.