Lisa Kudrow
oe Scarnici/Getty Images for NetflixGetting to know your coworkers can be one of the most nerve-wracking parts of starting a new job—but when Lisa Kudrow first to join friendsher colleagues made it surprisingly easy.
The 61-year-old actress landed the role of madcap Phoebe Buffy in the era-defining sitcom in 1994. and was nervous to be accepted by both the cast and crew. However, on Monday, December 9, an interview with Dax Shepard on his “Armchair Expert” podcast, she said her co-stars worked hard to bond and soon became as close as the iconic characters they portray.
“It was great, we really got along,” she said. “We also worked very hard to be friends. This six way connection needed some work and we did it.
Kudrow said it helped that some of her colleagues were already communications experts, citing Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc like the glue that held the tight-knit gang together, always discussing things to clear any tension.
Lisa Kudrow is keeping Matthew Perry’s memory alive by rewatching old episodes of Friends. “Honestly, I haven’t been able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I do it for Matthew, then that’s OK,” Kudrow, 60, told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, June 26. “And it’s just a celebration of how funny he is (…)
“If somebody said something or did something, it didn’t get too big because it was, ‘Can I talk to you?’—usually not me, because I had to learn to be, ‘Can I talk to you about something?’ because I never knew that was allowed!” she said. “But I saw it modeled really well by Courtney, Jennifer and Matt. Respectful communication.’
Kudrow also revealed on the podcast that when she first shot the pilot for the award-winning sitcom, she was paranoid that the director James Burroughs didn’t really want her character to turn out. “One of the problems with the character was how to let the audience know why they’re friends with her because she’s so different!” she recalled.
In the end, Phoebe was, of course, a huge hit, both on set with the cast and crew and with the show’s many millions of viewers—in fact, the show was a far bigger success than Kudrow could have imagined. “That’s a poor judgment of whether a show will be successful or not,” she laughed. “I thought, ‘Is that cute?’ I was glad it was on NBC!”
In April 2021 all six members of the “Friends” cast arrived on the set of Warner Bros. Studio in Los Angeles to film the highly-anticipated reunion special, which would debut to much fanfare next month. For two days, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry recalled their time (…)
Kudrow added that he doesn’t mind talking about friends as much as people inevitably want her to because she’s so “grateful” for the experience of being a major part of one of the biggest shows in history.
In the interview, Kudrow also spoke briefly about the death of her beloved colleague Matthew Perry in 2023 “This is going to sound weird. I’m more comforted that he was happy the day he died,” she admitted. “He should die happy. It was a gift for me too.
