COMMONWEALTH NEWS FROM BU AND BEYOND

As a BU student, Jason Alexander wanted to be a classical actor. But a professor, Jim Spruill (CFA’75), urged him to try comedy. Referring to his physicality, Spruill told him, “I know your heart and soul are Ham- let. But you will never play Hamlet.”

Seinfeld ’s Costanza Gives Jason Alexander returns Master Class in Acting at CFA to work with School of Theatre students

Long before he became famous shirt, the actor recounted how the Noticing Alexander’s physicality, as curmudgeon George Costanza on late Jim Spruill (CFA’75), then a CFA he said, “I know your heart and soul the long-running hit TV series Seinfeldd, associate professor of theater arts, gave are Hamlet. But you will never play actor Jason Alexander was making him some indispensable career advice. Hamlet.” Spruill urged him to do a name for himself on Broadway. He comedy. The actor left BU starred in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily a year shy of graduating to We Roll Along and in Neil Simon’s appear in a film being shot in Broadway Bound before winning a New York City. Months later Tony Award for his performance in he was on Broadway starring Jerome Robbins’ Broadway in 1989. in Merrily We Roll Along. Alexander (CFA’81, Hon.’95) drew on Over the next 30 years, these experiences during a master Alexander appeared in ) 2 class he conducted before more than dozens of films and tele- ( 100 College of Fine Arts School of vision shows, including Theatre students on September 22. Pretty Woman, Shallow Hall, YDNEY SCOTT YDNEY SCOTT

Dressed in jeans and a button-down and Curb Your Enthusiasm. C

4 BOSTONIA Winter–Spring 2015 He is currently lending his voice to the 2015 documentary The Gettys- Long Live the Daily Free Press burg Address. Alexander’s perfor- mance in Seinfeld, which ran from Famous friends among those donating more than 1989 to 1998, earned seven Emmy $70,000 to save student newspaper nominations and four Screen Actors Guild awards. Alexander told the CFA students that famed acting coach Larry Moss gave him four rules of acting. For every role they assume, actors must ask the following questions: Who am I talking to? What do I want them to do? What do I do to make them do The Daily Free Press received donations from about that? 300 alumni, professors, students, and friends What’s in the way of me getting through the crowdsourcing website GoFundMe. An additional $10,000 donation came from Freep alum what I want? and Fox News host Bill O’Reilly (COM’75). Following the master class, Alexander stuck around for stu- dents’ questions, many of which focused on the differences between acting for stage and acting for film. Acting teachers who coach for a film performance many times “tell you to bring it down,” Alexander For a while there in early tional $10,000 donation In fi scal year 2008, it was said. “But think of any performance November, it seemed like from Freep alum and Fox $314,814. And in the fi scal you’ve loved in a movie. Was it the weekly print version of News host Bill O’Reilly year that ended August 31, small? No.” the Daily Free Press might (COM’75) and a $50,000 2014, it was just $101,565. By way of example, he recounted not survive. BU’s indepen- pledge from local car Kyle Plantz (COM’16), the time he and Michael Chiklis dent student-run paper dealer and philanthro- who was editor-in-chief in (CFA’85) both auditioned for the announced that it was pist Ernie Boch, Jr., got the fall, says contributions role of John Belushi in the film almost $70,000 in debt them over the hump. and posts on the GoFund- Wired. Although they were neck to its publisher, Turley Although the 44-year- Me page affi rmed a lasting and neck for the part, Chiklis went Publications, and had less old paper scaled back fondness for the Freep on for a bigger impact, and trashed the than eight weeks to come production of the print the part of many alumni. set during the audition. Alexander up with the money. edition from four days a Pulitzer Prize–winning laughed: “He got the part.” Two days later, the week to one day a week journalist Don Van Natta But it was Freep had raised more last May (it’s published Jr. (COM’86) donated WEB EXTRA the heartfelt than $17,000 in donations daily online), debt con- $300 and Bravo TV host Watch a advice and from about 300 alumni, tinued to mount, and ad Andy Cohen (COM’90) video of Jason encouragement professors, students, revenues continued a gave $250. Alexander Alexander offered and friends through the long, slow decline. The most telling com- (CFA’81, Hon.’95) giving to the students crowdsourcing website In fi scal year 1998, ad ment may have come a master class that made the GoFundMe. An addi- revenue was $504,027. from Melanie DeCarolis to CFA School evening especially (CAS’92, COM’92), now of Theatre memorable. At a copy editor, who do- students nated $75. “I tell everyone at bu.edu one point, he told Kyle Plantz (COM’16) /bostonia. students that they I didn’t major in journal- have no reason to ism or English at BU; I not do what they want to do, noting majored in the Freep,” that iPhones and YouTube have she wrote. made it easier than ever to produce The GoFundMe page a film. “Be gentle with yourself,” is offi cially closed, but Alexander counseled. “You don’t the Daily Free Press is still yell at a bud because it’s not a accepting donations on flower yet. It’s going to take time.” its homepage through

CLINTON NGUYEN CLINTON AMY LASKOWSKI PayPal. AL

Winter–Spring 2015 BOSTONIA 5

04-15_Bostonia_WS15.indd 5 1/29/15 12:42 PM