What’s it like being recognized for Seinfeld for all of eternity?

The four main actors on Seinfeld must know by now that they’ll always be associated, for better or worse, with their characters from that long-running NBC sitcom. But at least the public has some vague conception that these people are performers. Things are a little different for the many character actors who popped up in quirky supporting roles on the show. In people’s minds, these actors literally are their characters from the show. The assorted Banias, Mickeys, Puddys, and Soup Nazis of the show get to tell their story in a funny little DVD featurette called “Hey, Aren’t You…” Jerry Seinfeld is sympathetic to their plight: “I have to, in the back of my mind, just wonder what possible pain we’ve visited upon Wayne Knight.” Knight himself, forever the scheming, covetous Newman, talks about the time he attended his aunt’s funeral in Las Vegas, only to be besieged by Seinfeld fans. That “Hello, Newman!” catchphrase got a little old that weekend.