NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > PAUL REISER DOING JUST FINE

PAUL REISER DOING JUST FINE

September 11 2009

Hollywood, CA – Hollywood is a town filled with many tales, the most compelling of which rarely make it onto the big screen. Tales of broken dream and incredible success; tales of damnation and redemption, Hollywood has made more tales than it
could ever put on screen. Those tales are likely to continue as well. Everyday stories unfold that evoke the beauty and brutality of the town evokes so many dreams of success, something so few ever accomplish, adding to legend and dream that is Hollywood.

One of those tales is held by Paul Reiser, the actor, writer, and producer who for years had as much success as one person can handle in tinsel town. With multiple hit movies and two long running television series on his resume it’s safe to say that Reiser lived the dream of Hollywood. Though the actor has not been seen on screen in a number of years, recent reports indicate that he is indeed still alive and doing quite well. Though he has passed into a semi-retirement in recent years, Reiser reportedly still loves the industry and observes from the outside, spending his days with his family in Los Angeles. In an exclusive interview with Scrape TV, Reiser confirmed that we is indeed doing just fine.

“Yeah I haven’t done a whole lot of acting of late but I’m okay with that. Some of that is a conscious decision on my part and part of it is the fact that there are just limited roles out there. I decided to take a couple of years off and in that time things in the industry changed and the roles that were out there just weren’t all that compelling to me anymore,” said Reiser by telephone. “It’s possible that I’ve changed as well and somehow the interests of the industry and my interests just don’t meet. That’s okay though. I’ve had my kick at the can and done pretty well. I’m not hurting for money and I feel pretty creatively satisfied. There aren’t a whole lot of people who can basically retire at 48 years old.”

Reiser has appeared sparingly in films since the end of his hit television show ‘Mad About You’. His co-star on that program, Helen Hunt, has also been largely absent from the industry in recent years despite her Academy Award.

“Everyone wants to be Tom Cruise or Marlon Brando but the truth is most people never get even close to that, even people who have had some success. I had a good run there from about ’84 to ’99 and that’s more than most people ever have so I feel pretty good about that,” continued Reiser. “Nowadays I just relax for the most part. I spend time with my family, go on vacations, and just generally relax. I just want people out there, my fans really, to know that everything is okay and that I’m happy. Maybe someday I’ll be back on screen but for now everything is good.”

It’s not clear how many fans Reiser has retained from his sitcom days or if anyone was particularly concerned about his well being.

“Everyone is measured by the success of the most popular person. If you don’t achieve that level of success in your particular field than oftentimes you are considered a failure. For Reiser the comparison would be to Jerry Seinfeld and in that context he really is a second banana. Seinfeld makes tens of millions a year and is still beloved the world over, something that really can’t be said for Reiser,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “Of course whether or not that comparison is fair is a reasonable question. Paul Reiser has had enough success for Paul Reiser and that’s really all that counts. He has been able to raise his family and lives pretty well and that is the real measure of success. True he will be largely forgotten after his death but that doesn’t invalidate his career or his life. As long as he’s happy that’s really all that matters.”

Reiser is expects to remain happy for the foreseeable future.

Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent

NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > PAUL REISER DOING JUST FINE