Lisa Kudrow may have played one of the most iconic characters on TV, but becoming Phoebe Buffay on Friends wasn’t as effortless as it looked.
Speaking to Parker Posey for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Kudrow revealed that the role was much harder for her than many fans might think.
“It became fun. It was fun the whole time because the cast had fun,” she said. But despite the laughs, Kudrow admitted that embodying Phoebe was a serious challenge. “Phoebe was so far from who I was as a human being, it was work-I needed to justify everything she was saying in my head so that it felt like she meant it and it was real to her. It was a lot of work.”
Kudrow, now 61, said she struggled with the pressure she put on herself to “be a good student” when it came to her performance. She recalled having a moment of self-doubt during the early seasons. “I remember Season 2 or 3, I went, ‘Oh my God, I’m not doing the work.’ And [Matt] LeBlanc went, ‘What’s the matter with you? You’re her. You don’t have to.’”
But for Kudrow, it wasn’t that simple. Her background and personality didn’t align with Phoebe’s quirky worldview, so staying authentic in the role meant constant effort. “The worst thing was wanting to be a good student. That’s what hurt me the most,” she added.
Posey, currently known for her role as Victoria Ratliff in The White Lotus, encouraged Kudrow to consider joining the next season of Mike White’s hit series. “Oh, Lisa, you should be in Season 4,” Posey said. “If there’s a big enough TikTok campaign, then it’ll happen.”
Kudrow didn’t miss a beat: “Because that’s how it works. No, it doesn’t.”
They both laughed it off, but Kudrow made it clear she’d love to work with Mike White someday. “Work with Mike White? Yes. I love Mike White. I’ve hung out with him at a party,” she shared. “He’s social. And Brad’s Status was my favorite movie that year. I emailed him to let him know, because I had to-it was so good, I had to. I don’t do that a lot.”
Still, she admitted some hesitation about stepping into the darker tones The White Lotus is known for. “I might not be his cup of tea, which is allowed to happen too. But I do get nervous about inhabiting things that are too dark; I try to avoid that.”
In her usual dry humor, she added, “But you didn’t really have to, except for the scenes where your head’s blown off. But it’s pretend.”
From her candid take on Friends to her thoughtful views on future roles, Kudrow keeps it real-even when talking about fiction.
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