Despite global fame and financial success that would make a Beatle blush, Jerry Seinfeld's enthusiasm for entertaining remains undiminished. Now he has made an animated comedy film for adults and kids, and is having more fun than ever, he tells Michael Dwyer

AFTER decades of working the stand-up comedy circuit, Jerry Seinfeld is so accustomed to projecting his voice that even in a one-to-one conversation, he speaks in tones loud enough to be heard several rooms away. He has spent the past few months criss-crossing continents to promote his first feature film, Bee Movie, but his enthusiasm remains as strong as his familiar voice when his tour stops in Dublin.

Now 53, he oozes the confidence of somebody who worked hard to get where he is, doing what he loves and enjoying the trappings of success. He earns millions annually from the syndication of his landmark TV series Seinfeld, which ran from 1989-98, and he is the star, co-writer and co-producer of Bee Movie, the engaging animated comedy that already has taken well over $100 million at the US box office.

Ever since 1980, when he was abruptly fired from the TV sitcom Benson after four episodes, Seinfeld's guiding philosophy has been to have control over his work, and he applied that hands-on approach throughout the production of Bee Movie. "Completely," he says firmly. "It's the way to work - if you can, if you're lucky enough and if you're willing to make the time commitment. The problem, of course, is that if it doesn't do well, everyone will know whose fault it is."

Crucial to the success of Bee Movie is that it entertains adults and children alike. "I really wrote it for the adults," Seinfeld says, "because I think kids are smart enough to figure it out for themselves. Kids are much smarter than we give them credit for."

'Did he use his own three children as a test audience? "No, I didn't," he says. "I waited until the very end, until it was finished. I was a little nervous because I wanted them to like it, of course, and they did. I think it has been an even bigger hit with kids, even though I thought I was making a really funny cartoon for adults."

He traces the origins of the movie back to a dinner he had with Steven Spielberg, when he made a pun about a B-movie featuring bees and Spielberg responded enthusiastically. "I had no idea that it would take as long as it did," Seinfeld says, "but I just found the world of animation so fascinating that I got absorbed into it and I ended up living it. It was fun to adjust things all the time. It's a puppet show."

The movie packs in so many bee puns, including an animated Sting, that I was waiting for BB King to turn up or for someone to deliver the "To be or not to be" soliloquy. "Right!" Seinfeld says with an air that makes it clear who should be telling the jokes in this conversation. "All those things were discussed. I tried to stay away from those."

He evidently relishes his chosen profession, which is all about making people laugh. "It's a pretty nice way to live," he says. "People say to me that I worked so hard on Bee Movie and spent four years on it, but to me, it was four years of playing. It's not working. It was the same with the TV series. It was all play. If you're good at what you do in my business, you're more playing than working. If you're working, you're probably on the wrong track."

Seinfeld continues to do what he does best and likes most - his stage comedy routine. Does he ever feel nervous? "Not at all," he says. "That's the most comfortable place for me. In the beginning, yes, I was nervous going on stage. I was not a natural performer. I really had to acquire that skill. I think I was better writing in the beginning, but the performing came slow."

It was much the same with his TV series, which, like Seinfeld's own career, was by no means an overnight success, building its audience gradually over the years. "I had been doing comedy routines for 13 years before the show started, so I had been around," he says. And the series proved remarkably popular for what was often described as "a show about nothing".

Seinfeld regards that description as absurd. "But it sounds good, so people use it. In fact, it's a line from the show, from the episode where George and I were trying to come up with a sitcom. He says that everybody else is doing a show about something, so let's do a show about nothing."

I mention that my favourite Seinfeld episode is The Contest, in which the four main characters, Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer, compete with each other to abstain from masturbation for the longest time, which was quite daring by US TV network standards - even then, the actors were not allowed to use the m-word. "You know, I wasn't even aware of that at the time," Seinfeld says, "but even at that early stage in the series, we were in the habit of doing unusual things. Then again, I guess, that's why they gave me the job."

The series has been influential on TV sitcoms and movies. "Yes, there are some other shows that are similar," Seinfeld says, "and we were very excited by Pulp Fiction when it came out. That was the first time that we realised that we were having an effect. That whole big Mac scene was like something right out of the show." Has Quentin Tarantino ever acknowledged that influence? "No," Seinfeld says, "but if I ever bump into him, I will mention it."

Did he feel a sense of loss after the 175th and final episode of Seinfeld was taped? "It's like a rodeo," he says. "You're trying to stay on the horse without getting stomped on. Have you seen The Little Shop of Horrors? That, to me, is a perfect metaphor for television because as it gets bigger, you have to feed it more and more. If you're lucky enough to be successful, you get to a point where one of you has to die. Either the television is going to kill you, to wear you out to the point where you're not good and they cancel you, or you're going to walk away. That's why I ended the show before it ended me."

He devised the series with Larry David, who went on to enjoy success with the TV comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm. "That was the essential magic of the whole thing," Seinfeld says. "Our writing rapport was what made the show."

Will they work together again? "Once you become established in your own right, it becomes harder to cede any power to somebody else. You want to be the big boss, and he's a big boss with his own show now, and it's hard to get big bosses to work well together. But you never know."

He has turned down various movies and TV shows. "There are a lot of good actors out there, but not a lot of good comedians. I can act, I'm okay, but I'm not one of the really good actors." However, he did a cameo recently for the TV comedy 30 Rock. "I love that show. I thought it would be fun to do, and it was a blast. And I'm a really big Alec Baldwin fan, so I decided to take that opportunity to act with him."

Despite the success of Bee Movie, Seinfeld has no plans to develop another movie project. " I think comedy is best served in a short form," he says. "I would rather watch Laurel and Hardy's shorts than their features, because they are more purely comedic. "

Seinfeld is now preparing to take his one-man stage show back on the road next year. "I'm writing a lot of new material and I have quite a few dates lined up," he says. "I'm excited about that, getting back to the essence." Any dates in Europe? "I'd love to, but I don't know if people would turn up." I tell him he would be assured of a full house in Dublin. "Okay," he grins. "I'll keep that in mind."

Bee Movie opens next Friday

Seinfeld's favourites

Asked if there is any comedian he admires above all others, Seinfeld unhesitatingly replies: "Oh, Bill Cosby. By far. He is a master beyond anyone I've ever seen. As a monologist in front of an audience, there is no one who has reached his level. No one. He has such complete control over everything he's doing on stage, and what he does is so detailed and funny, just purely funny. Even Richard Pryor at his best was not as good.

"I've seen just about everyone. It's my first love. I love the atmosphere in a room when a comedian is on stage and he's doing his thing and the audience is laughing. There is an energy in that room that is unique.

"I also admire George Carlin, Robert Klein, and a lot of young guys such as Chris Rock, who may be the smartest of all comedians in his ability to penetrate a subject. I saw him in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, and I was just amazed by his acuity."

Among the many films referenced in Bee Movie is Seinfeld's all-time favourite picture, The Graduate. "Every frame of that movie is just perfection. I think it's a little miracle. I was 13 when it came out in 1967 and I've seen it countless times. Everything works in it, every performance is absolutely right, and the music fits it so perfectly."

As for more recent movies, he cites Knocked Up. "It was fantastic, the best new comedy I've seen in a long time."