No Soup For You! The Seinfeld Soupman on Filming the Famous Episode

Today marks the 21^st anniversary of the memorable Seinfeld episode featuring the tyrannical owner of a wildly popular soup stand in Manhattan. Larry Thomas played the part of Yev Kassem, the soup stand owner who had a very particular set of rules for guests to follow: avoid conversation, place your money on the counter, order your flavor and step to the left. Decide not to follow his strict soup land laws and it was “No soup for you!”

Since then, the Soupman has changed his ways and wants you to have all the soup you can get. The actor is now the spokesperson for The Original Soupman, the company owned by the real-life soupman on whom the Kassem character was based. Al Yenegeh, from Iran, started Soup Kitchen International in 1984 and quickly became a Manhattan staple. Known for his authoritarian style of operation, New Yorkers would form lines down the block for a cup of Yenegeh’s amazing soup. Writers of Seinfeld at the time came into contact with Yenegeh and a plotline was born.

However, Al abhorred the nickname given to the character on the show, and even kicked Jerry Seinfeld out of his stand after the episode aired. Over time, nerves calmed, and Al reopened his stand as The Original Soupman on 55^th Street in New York, and began selling his soup by the carton in major grocery stores nationwide. You can now enjoy the best Soupman soup wherever you’d like, however you’d like. You can have Newman’s favorite, Jambalaya, a classic like Chicken Noodle, or the newest flavor, Shrimp Bisque. Original Soupman soups can also be purchased on Amazon.

Thomas represents the brand, traveling the country as the Soupman — Yenegeh forbids mention of the “N” name used for his Seinfeld counterpart — sharing the renowned Soupman soup with hungry Americans. Parade spoke with Thomas about the role that launched his career and about The Original Soupman soup.

When filming the episode, how many takes until you nailed the famous line?

We did two takes of each scene. They do one and if something goes wrong, you do another one. Nothing really went wrong with many of my takes. Just the first scene, the first take, I blew it because it was the first time we had actual soup there and I was serving the different soups out of the wrong chaffing dishes. But we stopped and got that right. Other than that, it was just one take and then one for safety.

Do you have a theory as to why the character was the way he was?

Not really. It’s almost like, you don’t need to know any more about the character than the character knows about the character. So, why he’s that way is not really anything I concentrated on, I just knew he was that way. As an observer I would probably say it’s because he wants the business to run smoothly. He wants everybody to get their soup and doesn’t like selfish, slow people.

You’ve also played a terrorist in other films, and of course the, we’ll call him, “strict soup server”. Any reason why you’re drawn to these ruthless roles?

I just find it easy to play intense people, because I’m rather intense myself. Part of my own character just fits that.

How did you come to be the Original Soupman spokesperson?

For years, people have been getting the reality of me and Al and the business confused. I finally ended up doing an appearance for the Brooklyn Cyclones at the same time as the Original Soupman guys were there, serving the soup. They saw that everybody’s got a different reality based on, Am I Al? Is Al me? Was I on the TV show? Or did I own the soup stand? When they realized there was such a sort of thin line of people’s reality there, they decided that I should just be the Soupman and kind of continue to fit in with what everybody thinks is really happening. It’s very weird but it fits.

What was it like when you met Al Yegeneh, the real soupman?

It was pretty funny. He actually was very nice to me. He thought the show was funny, just doesn’t like the nickname.

What makes Soupman soup better than other soup?

Al’s recipes. Al is the kind of cook that wants everything he makes to be exotic and different. He certainly has succeeded with his soup. The ones we have in the tetra cartons are the ones people like most at the 55^th Street store. I’m at the store behind the counter sometimes . . . and I see how people react. So, we put the favorites in the tetra cartons and we’re going to continue to come out with new ones. It’s just better than anything else you’re gonna taste in a soup aisle at the grocery store. You can get them almost at every supermarket these days. If you’re lucky enough to come to New York and go to 55^th Street, and taste it there, it’s some of the best food in Manhattan. And New Yorkers know some good food.

What’s the Soupman’s favorite soup?

I think the Jambalaya. Personal favorite. But they’re all wonderful, they really are.

Showbiz Analysis with Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi, Larry Thomas