Taika Waititi gender-swapped Lisa Kudrow's Time Bandits character because 'it felt boring'
The Friends star's character was originally written as a man.
As Friends legend Lisa Kudrow graces our screens once again in new Apple TV+ comedy Time Bandits, the show's co-creator Taika Waititi has revealed she very almost wasn't cast because her character was originally male.
The new series follows young Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), a history-obsessed boy, as he steps back in time and inadvertently joins a chaotic team of bandits led by Kudrow's character, Penelope.
Chatting to RadioTimes.com, Kudrow and Waititi revealed that the character was first written as a man - until the show's bosses decided it was a "boring" way to go.
Kudrow said of her first reaction to the script: "When I first read the script, the character I was going to be playing was still a man! So I kept getting distracted by pronouns and things. But it felt like, 'Okay, this is really funny, this is really good.'"
Waititi elaborated: "We did quite a lengthy casting process for all of the characters and we were looking at male actors because that character was originally male, and I felt I was getting pretty bored of that.
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"I was just thinking there's a lot of shows with dudes leading teams of dudes, and it just felt a bit boring."
Co-creator Jemaine Clement added: "Also, you've often suggested Lisa for other things we've talked about, so this is the first time you've managed to work together."
Waititi added that, while he loved Kudrow in her career-defining role in Friends, it was comedy series The Comeback that cemented his admiration for her.
"The Comeback is just such an incredible show and she just led that entire production, and watching that show, I just thought she's a comedic genius. I've admired her for many years and we're lucky to have her."
Kudrow also made her mark on the script, with Clement revealing: "You'll do a few takes, and sometimes if something doesn't come out funny, she'll find a way to turn it around and pick it up at the end, like make a little joke.
"One of the improvs we liked was in the first episode, where she says, 'Well, that was a colossal waste of time travel.' She'd just add things like that."
Kudrow, however, insists her comedic background wasn't much help when it came to approaching a new project, explaining: "I don't know if it helps at all because every comedy has its own tone.
"So, there's always that scary part at the beginning where I'm convinced I don't know what I'm doing and they're regretting their choice, asking me to be part of it!"
Time Bandits is available to stream now on Apple TV+.
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