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Lisa Kudrow gets real about playing Phoebe on Friends, reveals Matt Leblanc's advice: ‘It was a lot of work’
Phoebe Buffay might be everyone’s favorite spacey soul, but Lisa Kudrow says stepping into those crazy boots was a serious acting challenge
To millions, the show Friends is a warm blanket of comfort — the show defined a generation and continues to win over younger audiences with every new watch. But behind the laughs was a surprising amount of work, especially for Lisa Kudrow, who brought to life the unforgettable, free-spirited Phoebe Buffay.
In a recent conversation with fellow actor Parker Posey, Kudrow opened up about how playing the eccentric masseuse-musician wasn't as effortless as it looked. The two actors first met while working on Clockwatchers, a 1997 indie film about temps navigating office ennui. At the time, Posey was the reigning queen of indie cinema, while Kudrow was already a household name thanks to Friends.
Posey, curious about the mechanics of sitcom acting, asked Kudrow if the rapid-fire rhythm of Friends ever felt like playing a sport. “It became fun,” Kudrow replied, candidly. “It was fun the whole time because the cast had fun. 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.”
She also recalled an important moment of self-doubt early on in the show's run. “I remember Season 2 or 3, I went, ‘Oh my God, I’m not doing the work.’ And LeBlanc went, ‘What’s the matter with you? You’re her. You don’t have to.’”
While Kudrow may have mastered the art of making Phoebe’s quirks look effortless, her journey to inhabit the role was anything but. That sense of commitment continues to shape her current performances, like her recent turn in No Good Deed, where she plays Lydia Morgan, a grieving mother who believes her son is trying to reach her from beyond through flickering lights.
