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Lisa Kudrow became a household name thanks to her role as Phoebe Buffay in Friends. This is undoubtedly one of the most successful shows ever made and remains very popular, even 25 years since the first episode was aired. At some point, the cast earned $1 million per episode, which gave the actors financial stability for many years.
Although Lisa Kudrow has been under the public eye since the '90s and she is very popular among thousands of fans around the world, there are some facts about her career that are relatively under the radar. Keep scrolling and learn more about this talented actress.
She had a nose job that changed her life
Teenagers often have struggles with their body image. Lisa Kudrow was no different. When she was younger, the actress had a lack of confidence due to her nose, which she thought was too big. When she was 16, she used the summer break to get a nose job. Kudrow was about to start the High School in a new place, so people would not notice the difference.
During an interview with the Daily Mail, the actress said it was a great decision and positively affected her life. Perhaps it gave her the confidence to pursue a career on television some years later.
She worked with her father before her career took off
Lisa Kudrow has a bachelor's degree in Biology, and with her father being a physician, she was part of his staff. She was even credited in his studies about headaches as one of the researchers. Kudrow started acting in the meantime, but she remained as part of the staff for eight years and let it go when her career took off. It seems that she has more in common with Ross Geller than we could imagine.
We are sure she would have a brilliant career as a researcher, but we are glad she decided to keep acting.
She almost didn't play Phoebe
Can you imagine another actress playing the unforgettable Phoebe Buffay? The casting from Friends could be different if Lisa Kudrow wasn't fired from her previous role. In 1993, the actress was cast to be part of Frasier, but she was fired just after the pilot episode and replaced by Peri Gilpin. James Burrows, who directed multiple episodes of the show, said he didn't feel Kudrow was the right person for that part.
Although being sacked never feels good, perhaps it was fate because this time, because it didn't take long until Lisa Kudrow was cast as Phoebe, her most remarkable role.
Lisa Kudrow didn't enjoy playing Ursula
We all remember Ursula, Phoebe's evil twin sister. The character appeared for the first time in Mad About You and they needed permission to bring her to Friends. However, Lisa didn't have much fun while shooting the scenes.
According to Kevin S. Bright, Friends' Executive Producer, Kudrow didn't like to act with a double, that was also her sister in real life. Bright told in an interview that those scenes used to be tricky to shoot and took some time. But the final results are some of the best episodes of the show.
She had to improvise in Web Therapy
Lisa Kudrow played a therapist that believed that a 50 minutes session was way too much and gave her patients only 30 minutes in this web series. What many people don't know is that there wasn't a script for the show. According to Kudrow, she and the directors just wrote the outlines, but all the dialogues were improvised. In 2011, the show received a television version.
It seems challenging to improvise every episode, but for sure, it is also a refreshing experience for an actor.
She is also a producer
Although she is better known for her work s an actress, Lisa Kudrow is also an award-nominee producer. She is one of the executive producers of Who Do You Think You Are?, a reality show that analyzes the family tree of several people. In 2008, the show was also adapted to the UK, and Kudrow's company (Is or Isn't Entertainment) helped to produce it.
Who Do You Think You Are has received six Emmy nominations and won one award. Lisa Kudrow is not only talented in front of the cameras, but also a powerful name in the show business industry at large.
She doesn't know how to play the guitar
Most of Friends' devoted fans remember Phoebe Buffay carrying a guitar in some episodes and singing weird songs, especially Smelly Cat. However, Lisa Kudrow could not play the guitar and even suggested other instruments to the character. However, the producers stick on their first choice and hired a guitar teacher for Kudrow. The actress had a few lessons, just enough to learn some chords. So what we see on screen is really the few thing Kudrow learned.
Perhaps if she knew how to play it properly, those scenes would not be so memorable.
She could feel insecure about her appearance
After her nose job when she was a teenager, Lisa Kudrow never opted for further cosmetic surgery, but that doesn't mean she did not feel insecure about her body. During an interview with Vogue, Kudrow revealed that she always felt bigger compared to Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox.
Kudrow also affirmed that when she was on screen, she tried to lose weight and always got compliments when she was too skinny. Something she doesn't consider healthy since she often felt sick.
She doesn't watch her work
Lisa Kudrow doesn't usually watch her work on television. So, unlike many fans, she doesn't stop to see a Friends episode when it is on TV. She explained during an interview that she is afraid that she will not like herself and her acting. Perhaps that is a good way for actors to not get attached to their previous work and also help to prepare for different roles.
In another interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she also revealed that her son is not interested in Friends and didn't watch the show.
Her support for female equality
During an interview with The Guardian, Lisa Kudrow reflected on how female characters on television and books are often trapped in abusive relationships. She mentioned shows like Girls and the Fifty Shades of Grey as an example.
The actress has also highlighted the importance of men and women having equal salaries. She also remembered that Friends' cast teamed up and demanded the same salary - $1 million per episode. It happened before the salary gap between men and women was under the spotlight.