Jason Alexander, front and center
Actor Jason Alexander is best known for playing the neurotic George Costanza on the long-running television comedy “Seinfeld,” a series that reveled in the concept that it really was about nothing. On Thursday afternoon, Alexander visited Harvard, where he talked about something — in fact, many things. “What a handsome couple!” he declared, gesturing grandly to a portrait of Thomas and Virginia Cabot as he strolled into the Cabot House living room for a cozy conversation with about 60 students and moderator Alicia Anstead. During the candid chat, Alexander reminisced about growing up in New Jersey. “Painfully shy and a bit dysfunctional” as a child, he said magic was a way for him to interact with others (magician Mark Wilson had a tremendous influence on him when he was 6 years old). But when he got older he was advised not to pursue the craft — his small hands are not good for...