Lisa Kudrow ‘struggled’ to play Phoebe in Friends
The Friends actress has revealed that she had a crisis of confidence during season three — until her co-star Matt Le Blanc brought her to her senses...
Friends star Lisa Kudrow has revealed that she 'struggled' with playing Phoebe during the early seasons of the hit comedy series.
Kudrow, who played the kooky masseuse in the much-loved sitcom, said that she initially felt that she had "tricked" execs into hiring her for the part — and needed a sit-down chat with co-star Matt Le Blanc (who played Joey) to convince her otherwise.
- What are the most iconic episodes in Friends – and which episodes do they appear in?
- The best TV series to watch on Netflix
- Netflix UK guide: what to watch and how much it costs
"I had played dumb girls for sure, but it wasn’t really me. I feel like, s*** I tricked them," the actress revealed on the YouTube series Hiking with Kevin. "At the audition I feel I was the only one who could cope with the audition process and that’s how I got it I think.
"I had to work hard at being Phoebe, then third season in I was struggling so much. And Le Blanc was like, 'What’s going on with you?' and I was like, 'I don’t think I have it. I don’t know what I’m doing'. He said, 'You’re her, relax, you got it, you’ve been doing this f****** character for three years. You’re working too hard, that’s your problem. You don’t need to work as hard.'"
The cult series followed six friends living in New York over a decade and also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry,
Aniston, who played Rachel, recently told Ellen DeGeneres that she would be open to a reunion episode with the old gang.
"I would do it," Aniston said. "The girls would do it. And the boys would do it, I'm sure."
As the series celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, we want to know what the greatest Friends moment of all time is?