Although Jason Alexander appreciates George Costanza—the role he earned several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for portraying on Seinfeld—he decided to serendipitously play off being typecast for the occasion of his one-man show. An Evening With Jason Alexander and His Hair at Harrah’s does have a co-star or sorts, though, one that has become very close to Alexander. Las Vegas Magazine’s Matt Kelemen spoke with Alexander to get some answers off the top of his head.

I’m trying to figure out how to approach the subject of your hair since it’s in the title of your show.

I would recommend straight on. Do not feel like you have to tiptoe around the hair.

Is that the reason for the name of the show, to get that out of the way?

Absolutely. The hair is one of the funniest, oddest things I have done in recent years. It’s sort of created a whole attitudinal change for me. The truth is it began because professionally, in the industry, a couple of people have opted to not hire me because I still look so much like George Costanza. ... I went out, got the toup and started wearing it in life, knowing that the tabloids would jump on it. It was a very calculated move, but the truth is there were all kinds of very funny reactions as I was putting together the comedy show.

How did it influence the direction of the show?

It did a couple of things. It said to people, “He doesn’t look like George Costanza on the marquee; I guess we shouldn’t expect him to be George Costanza,” which is absolutely true. My sense of humor and George’s sense of humor are pretty different. I didn’t want people to come expecting George and then having to adjust and having to deal with Jason. But it also gives me a bunch of funny material and funny anecdotes with which to enter into the comedy show. It became an all-around good thing.

Does it help with the transition from character actor to comedian?

If anyone had ever said to me, “Hey Jason, you’re going to spend some time being a stand-up comic,” I would have said you’re out of your mind. It is the most frightening thing you could say to me, because I know what stand-up comedy is. I know what it takes; I’ve worked with some of the best. So what the hair does to me is, I put it on and I’m playing the part of a stand-up comic.

Do you think William Shatner’s relationship to his hair influenced you?

Shatner’s a friend of mine, and I cannot tell you what the truth is about his head. Everybody thinks it’s a toup. It may be. I don’t know. He’s never said anything to me in confidence about it. It’s not something we talk about.

So you’re not trying to make a fashion or political statement?

I’m just saying I don’t think its something that we have to be coy about. For guys, if they think they look better with the damn thing, put it on and say … “It’s not quite real.”