Michael Richards talks 2006 racist rant, but he’s ‘not looking for a comeback’
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — After years of being off the radar, Michael Richards appears to be reemerging.
In an interview with People ahead of the release next month of his memoir “Entrances and Exits,” the “Seinfeld” star talked about getting caught on camera hurling racial slurs, including the N-word at a group of hecklers during one of his 2006 comedy shows.
Reflecting on that moment, Richards told the publication, “I was immediately sorry the moment I said it onstage.”
“My anger was all over the place and it came through hard and fast. Anger is quite a force. But it happened. Rather than run from it, I dove into the deep end and tried to learn from it,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy. Crisis managers wanted me to do damage control. But as far as I was concerned, the damage was inside of me.”
The actor denies that he is a racist and said that since that time, he’s been in therapy to deal with the insecurities that wouldn’t even allow him to enjoy the fame and success that came his way as he starred as Cosmo Kramer on “Seinfeld.”
“I was a good character actor, but I was comfortable being the character, not in being me,” Richards told the publication.
“I said no to the offer of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I didn’t feel deserving,” he also said. “I said no to hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ twice because I didn’t feel good enough. I was never really satisfied with my Seinfeld performance. Fame magnified my insecurities.”
He and Jerry Seinfeld have remained friends, Richards said, evidenced by the fact the star writes the forward for Richards’ new memoir. Richards made a rare public appearance recently when he supported Seinfeld at the premiere of his directorial debut, the film “Unfrosted.”
The-CNN-Wire
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