Jerry Seinfeld Reuniting With ‘Soup Nazi’ For Comedy Festival In June

Few sitcoms are as iconic as Seinfeld, and on that sitcom, few characters left as much of an impact as the “Soup Nazi.” Played by Larry Thomas, the character was meant to mimic a real life restaurant owner who had an intense demeanor, and for those who had hoped to experience the tyrannical behavior firsthand, Thomas will be serving food at this June’s “Colossal Clusterfest,” at which Jerry Seinfeld will headline.

The festival takes place in San Francisco June 2 through June 4, and although you might not see Thomas on stage with Seinfeld, you can find him in the festival’s food section, dishing out soups like Mulligatawny, Crab Bisque, Turkey Chili, and Jambalaya.

This won’t be the first reunion of Seinfeld and Thomas, as the two reunited for an Acura ad in 2012 that aired during the Super Bowl.

“I love that guy,” Thomas says of Seinfeld. “When I first met him, he gave me some alternate direction in the callback for the episode. Then, when we were filming, he came up to me on the set and said ‘Hey man, forget about everything I told you, just do what you did when you walked in.’ That’s the Jerry I always talk about. The guy who was seven seasons in, one of the most powerful men in the industry telling this nobody actor that my idea was better than his.”

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Of his upcoming appearance, Thomas reveals, “I hope the fans are brave enough to play with me.” He added, “I’ve done many personal appearances due to Seinfeld and the character, but only once through all the years was there a couple brave enough to make out in line. So I’m hoping for that moment.”

What’s even more astonishing than the legacy of Thomas’ character is that, in the episode in which he was featured, he only achieved six minutes of screen time.

“The character himself has taken on a life of his own,” Thomas reveals. “I have people coming up to me saying ‘Oh the Soup Nazi! No soup for you!’ and then they tell me they’ve never even seen Seinfeld before.”

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22 years later, Thomas’ character has nothing but affection for the role. “It’s hard to sum up because not a day goes by without some Soup Nazi reference happening to me,” he revealed. “And I’ll tell Jerry again when I see him at Clusterfest, ‘I make a career in your name. My family is supported on your name.’ There was one life before Seinfeld, and a totally different life after.”

The role has spurned convention appearances and even inspired Thomas to write a book, Confessions of a Soup Nazi.

[H/T PEOPLE]

Photo Credit: Getty / Michael Buckner