Lisa Kudrow says her Friends character Phoebe ‘was so far from who I am'

The 61-year-old from Los Angeles played one of six friends featured in the hit US sitcom which also starred Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt Le Blanc and the late Matthew Perry.
Speaking to US actress Parker Posey for Variety's Actors On Actors series, she said: 'It (the series) was fun the whole time, because we had fun, the cast had fun.
'It was like a collaboration with the writers, because they were so great and nice and good.
'But me being Phoebe was so far from who I was as a human being that 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.
'And I remember like season two or three, and I was just doing it, and went, 'Oh my god, I'm not doing the work. I don't know if this is going as well. I'm not doing the work'.
'I was really fretting over it. And (Matt) LeBlanc went, 'What's the matter with you?'. I said, 'I'm not doing the work that I did. I used to like really work, and he said, 'You're her. You don't have to do it anymore'.'
Alongside her role in Friends, Kudrow is known for starring in a number of TV series as well as comedy films Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and The Opposite Of Sex.
In 2023 she thanked her late co-star Perry for 'the best 10 years a person gets to have' while filming Friends in a tribute following his death at the age of 54.
During their conversation, Posey, who has starred in films including Dazed And Confused and Superman Returns, spoke about one of her more recent roles playing a southern woman called Victoria Ratliff in season three of Mike White's dark comedy, The White Lotus.
She said: 'It was such a gift to have this middle-aged woman at this time in my life, in my career, to be the southern woman.
'I was reading Tennessee Williams in junior high and high school and southern writers and all of this. So I was like, I just ate it up.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Metro

4 hours ago

• Metro

Friends and Spider-Man star Jack Betts dies aged 96

Jack Betts, known for starring in Spider-Man, Friends, and several Spaghetti Westerns, has died aged 96. The actor died in his sleep at his home in Los Osos, California, on Thursday. His nephew, Dean Sullivan, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter. He had previously shared a home with Everybody Loves Raymond star Doris Roberts, to whom he was a great friend. She invited him to move from New York into an appartment with her in the Hollywood Hills, where he escorted her to high-profile events from the late 80s until 2016 when she died. After Roberts died, Betts said they were 'best friends to the very end' and praised the 'wonderful times' they shared. Betts, born in Miami, Florida, in 1929, was most famous for appearing as Henry Balkan in the 2002 Spider-Man film alongside Tobey Maguire. His other film roles included a cameo in 1995's Batman Forever, plus one in Batman & Robin two years later. More Trending TV-wise, he appeared in Seinfeld, Frasier, and Power Rangers. Betts also popped up in Friends in 2001, playing Tom in The One with Joey's New Brain. He enjoyed an incredibly successful and varied career, which was kick-started on Broadway in an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III. However, things rocketed when he played Hunt Powers across the Italian Spaghetti Western films. This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates. If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. For more stories like this, check our entertainment page. Follow Entertainment on Twitter and Facebook for the latest celeb and entertainment updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez 'feud' reignited after fans spot social media move MORE: Hee Haw actor Gailard Sartain 'dies aged 78' weeks after co-star MORE: Fat Joe sued for $20,000,000 over claims of underage sex with minors

Daily Record

4 hours ago

• Daily Record

Friends and Spider-Man actor Jack Betts dies at home aged 96

The actor, passed away in his sleep, at his home in Los Osos, California on Thursday. Jack starred in roles in Spiderman and Batman as well as featuring in much loved TV sitcoms. Hollywood icon Jack Betts known for roles in Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond and superhero epics has died aged 96, his nephew has announced. The actor, passed away in his sleep, at his home in Los Osos, California on Thursday. Jack starred in roles in Spiderman and Batman as well as featuring in much loved TV sitcoms. ‌ As the Mirror reports, actor shared a home with his Everybody Loves Raymond co-star Doris Roberts before her death in 2016. ‌ Jack was "best friends" with Doris and an Everybody Loves Raymond fan account paid tribute to the actor and confirmed that the pair were not married. Posting on Instagram, they said: "Doris Roberts was close friends with Jack Betts, who you will remember from the Cruising With Marie episode. He played Walter on the ship and was a big champion of Marie. "He passed yesterday at the age of 96. He has a very long list of credits. He was not Doris Roberts husband as has been reported elsewhere. He was a longtime friend of Doris' and we did see him with Doris at dinners and always enjoyed his company! This is a photo I took of Jack and Doris when he was visiting the set for the final episode." His death was announced to the Hollywood Reporter, as his nephew, Dean Sullivan, told the publication he had died in his sleep at home. Jack had some big credits to his name throughout an illustrious career. He played Tom in the Friends episode 'The One with Joey's New Brain'. Meanwhile, he also played businessman Henry Balkan in the 2002 hit movie, Spider-Man but his lengthy list of acting credits spans further than movies and television as he also played Dracula in Broadway during his incredibly successful acting career. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. ‌ Tributes have poured in from friends and fans of the star who shared their condolences following the sad news. One person said: "Years ago Jack played an evil character on One Live to Live!!! I loved him and was excited to see him on Cruising With Marie…" As another commented: "RIP to a legend. Jack Betts brought so much to the screen — from gritty westerns to comic book charm." A third added: "Jack Betts from One Life to Live who played Dr. Ivan Kipling has passed away at the age of 96. He will always be remembered for the storyline he had with Judith Light who played Karen Wolek." Jack was born in Miami in 1929 and went on to study theatre and appeared in a Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III. Despite becoming a star over the years for his TV appearances and films, Jack's films at that time did not air in the US or Canada which meant he found finding fame more difficult in those countries. Landing a string of Westerns at the time, Jack said Clint Eastwood was even his neighbour at one point. He told The Dev Show in 2021: "In the hotel next to mine was Clint Eastwood. He'd go up to his mountain and do his Western and I'd go up to my mountain and do my Western. But while his films had distribution all over the world, my films were distributed [everywhere] except Canada and America."

Scottish Sun

6 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Friends and Spider-Man star dies in his sleep aged 96 after 60-year Hollywood career

STAR GONE Friends and Spider-Man star dies in his sleep aged 96 after 60-year Hollywood career LEGENDARY actor Jack Betts, known for his roles in Friends and Spider-Man, has died aged 96. The Hollywood star died in his sleep at his home in Los Osos, California, on Thursday. 2 Jack Betts has died 2 Actress Doris Roberts and Jack Betts arrive at the party celebrating the 200th Episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' Credit: Getty Betts befriended Everybody Loves Raymond star Doris Roberts and shared a home with her. Born in Miami, Florida, in 1929, the legend first began his career on Broadway, in an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III. He then went on to an incredibly successful career, playing various characters across TV shows and movies. Betts had a cameo in the Batman Forever movie in 1995 and Batman & Robin two years later. But after appearing as Hunt Powers across the Italian Spaghetti Western films, his career rocketed. The legend had bluffed his way into the 1966 Franco Giraldi's Sugar Coat starring role and he held it for 12 consecutive films - ending in 1972. Speaking to the Dev Show in 2021, he said: "In the hotel next to mine was Clint Eastwood. "He'd go up to his mountain and do his Western and I'd go up to my mountain and do my Western. "But while his films had distribution all over the world, my films were distributed [everywhere] except Canada and America." Betts then went back to Broadway and starred as Dracula between 1977 to 1980. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun