Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was ‘devastating’ and led to her fearing she was ‘hopeless’ as Phoebe in Friends – before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom

Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom

As a long-time admirer of Lisa Kudrow’s work, I can empathize with her feelings towards the studio audience’s laughter during Friends. Having spent two decades in the limelight, she has undoubtedly developed a unique perspective on the performance dynamic between actors and audiences. Her irritation towards prolonged laughter is understandable, considering that every second counts during filming.


In simpler terms, Lisa Kudrow admitted that getting fired from Frasier left a significant impact on her, making her feel hopeless about her future portrayal of Phoebe Buffay in Friends.

In 1993, the actress, who was then 61 years old, was initially cast to portray producer Roz Doyle opposite Kelsey Grammer in the main character role. However, she was let go before filming the pilot episode, and Peri Gilpin took over her part instead.

Lisa confessed that losing such a significant job was a substantial blow to her, and she shared this experience during an interview on the Smartless podcast. She mentioned that director James Burrows, who later collaborated with her on Friends, interrupted a rehearsal of the script to announce, “This isn’t working.”

Lisa expressed, “I tried asking, ‘What could I contribute?’ but it seems there was a miscasting. You see, I attended the network with Perri Gilpin. I believe they were rectifying an error as Perri was supposed to be Roz all along.”

Instead, the incident propelled Lisa onto a fresh trajectory that ultimately landed her pivotal part in Friends following her brief appearance in the sitcom Mad About You.

Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom

Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom
Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’d be delighted to share an interesting tidbit about my television appearances. In one of my roles, I was fortunate enough to guest-star in the popular sitcom ‘Mad About You’. Surprisingly, they invited me back for another appearance, which was quite unexpected given that I had already made a guest appearance during the show’s first season.

Currently, I find myself involved with a new role, referred to as ‘the waitress’. My representative advised against it, but I was unable to refuse. Despite that, it’s an opportunity I can’t turn down because I consider it to be the finest production, and I’m eagerly participating in it.

Following this, she received an invitation to appear in five additional episodes, which she jokingly remarked as covering her annual rent costs. Notably, luck favored her as the show’s writer and producer, Jeffrey Klarik, later proposed Lisa for the role of Phoebe Buffay when his partner David Crane was assembling the cast for Friends.

Lisa found herself crossing paths with her previous director from Frasier, James Burrows, during an audition he conducted for her role in Friends. Initially, she felt disheartened about the audition and feared it was a lost cause, but to her surprise, she landed the part. This role ended up transforming her life entirely.

In 1994-2004, she portrayed a role that won her an Emmy for Best Actress. Alongside her co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, and Matthew Perry, they eventually earned a staggering $1M per episode in the later seasons of their highly successful sitcom.

Two decades after “Friends” ended its run, Lisa finds herself still affected by the studio audience’s laughter during filming, an experience that follows her long after the series concluded.

During an episode of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast, the actress shared her reason for being uncomfortable with the laughter of the audience while her jokes were being delivered.

‘[I was irritated] because they were laughing for too long. It wasn’t that funny,’ she explained to O’Brien. ‘That’s why. It wasn’t an honest response, and it irritated me.’

Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom
Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom
Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom

Instead, she added, “It’s akin to disrupting the rhythm of the entire performance. At times, I’d glance over to check if they were still laughing excessively, and respond with something like, ‘let’s move on,’ expressing my irritation.”

She emphasized that the content is designed primarily for home TV viewers. Her role is dedicated to serving their entertainment needs. If it were a stage play, she would find ways to keep her character occupied while waiting for action, but since it’s being filmed, she feels like she’s just standing there.

Kudrow admitted that she sometimes finds herself doing actions she dislikes, such as giving an approving nod, implying “Yes, I agree, I said that!”

In my professional opinion, during the show, I emphasized the importance of avoiding behaviors similar to what I had just demonstrated.

The single mom, wedded to Michel Stern, noted that approximately six to eight hours are required to film a thirty-minute episode of the cherished show.

On two separate occasions this month, Kudrow has expressed feeling frustrated with the live audience while she was acting on Friends.

Earlier this month, she expressed to Entertainment Tonight her discomfort when the studio audience continued to laugh excessively.

Lisa Kudrow admits being fired from Frasier was 'devastating' and led to her fearing she was 'hopeless' as Phoebe in Friends - before the iconic role catapulted her to superstardom

In a similar vein, the actress from Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion expressed, ‘May good fortune smile upon them. Their enthusiasm was infectious, causing their laughter to last longer than usual, even if it wasn’t triggered by something particularly amusing.’

Lisa responded, “I said something like, ‘Alright then, let’s cool it down. This isn’t really funny. There’s still a lot more to discuss!'”

In a recent conversation with Variety, Jennifer Aniston revealed an intriguing tidbit about our beloved Phoebe, Lisa Kudrow – she supposedly despised it when the crowd erupted in laughter while filming Friends! As someone who adores both these talented ladies and the iconic series itself, I can’t help but feel a tad perplexed by this revelation. It’s like discovering a hidden secret about my best friends – shocking, yet fascinating all at once!

‘She’d be like, “I’m not done! It’s not that funny!”‘ 

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2024-07-31 14:19

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