The ‘Friends’ Star Who Was Fired From ‘Frasier’

The Big Picture

• Lisa Kudrow was originally cast in the role of Roz Doyle in
  Frasier
  but was fired after three days due to not fitting the chemistry of the group.
• Even though Kudrow was fired from
  Frasier
  , the series creator and executive producer praised her comedic talent and quirkiness.
• Kudrow’s firing from
  Frasier
  ultimately led her to audition for and land the role of Phoebe in
  Friends
  , despite initial concerns from director James Burrows.

When Friends debuted in the fall of 1994, its six lead performers were largely unknown. Headlining a popular sitcom, however, can do wonders for one’s exposure, and it wasn’t long before each member of Friends’ main cast became a household name in entertainment. Interestingly, many of the show’s cast almost didn’t land their iconic roles for one reason or the other. For instance, Matthew Perry was initially committed to the pilot of another sitcom called LAX 2194, but when the pilot fell through, he was able to try out for Friends.

Also among the newcomers to the primetime big leagues was Lisa Kudrow as the series’ quirky and aloof musician and massage therapist, Phoebe Buffay. Winning audiences over with youthful innocence and often surreal musings on life and relationships, Kudrow’s defining character and performance led to a prolific decades-long career in television and film. But her big break came on the heels of misfortune, and who knows what might have been had she not been in the right place at the right time?

Before ‘Friends,’ Lisa Kudrow Was Set to Star in ‘Frasier’

A year before Friends hit TV screens, Frasier premiered on NBC. A spin-off of Cheers revolving around the titular radio psychiatrist (Kelsey Grammer), Frasier was a huge success with viewers and critics alike, capping its 11-year run with an impressive 264 episodes and a slew of awards. Acting alongside Grammer were Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, and Peri Gilpin, but Gilpin didn’t enter the picture as Frasier Crane’s producer, Roz Doyle, until after production on the series pilot commenced. Originally occupying the role was Lisa Kudrow, who ultimately worked on the show for only three days. According to People, the actress was fired at the behest of director James Burrows. “I wasn’t right for the part for the chemistry of the group,” she remembers. “So that wasn’t working but I did think, ‘Oh, I am not this guy’s cup of tea.'”

While the right performative vibe between actors on any set is crucial, the tonal nature of a sitcom lives and dies through the comedic energy of everyone involved, individually and as a group. Kudrow may not have been right for Roz Doyle, but series creator and executive producer Peter Casey ultimately sang her praises despite her firing. Per Vulture, Casey wrote in his memoir, “Lisa didn’t exactly fit the mold of what we were looking for in terms of a strong-willed character, but she was really funny. Her quirkiness made lines that weren’t intended as jokes hilarious.” While losing a job on a series that Kudrow assumed “would run forever and be very well written” must have stung at the time, her temporary setback soon segued into the opportunity of a lifetime. But that opportunity would be one she’d have to work hard for, as the major obstacle in her way would once again be James Burrows, one of the most prolific sitcom directors of his or any era.

Since directing his first sitcom with a 1974 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, James Burrows has cultivated a legendary status in television history. His seemingly endless list of credits includes work on Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, and Will and Grace, for which he directed the pilot episodes, as well as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, and Mike and Molly. With more than 1,000 television episodes and numerous accolades under his belt, the veteran director would no doubt be an intimidating figure for any up-and-coming performer hoping to make a mark on a ruthless and highly competitive industry. After Burrows decided to remove Lisa Kudrow from Frasier, neither the director nor actress likely had any idea that their paths would cross again so soon. But the following year, as the new television season was ramping up and hopefuls took their shot at scoring roles in pilots, Burrows and Kudrow found themselves collaborating on a project that would be a game changer.

Being Fired From ‘Frasier’ Led Lisa Kudrow to ‘Friends’

According to Vulture, not long after her firing from Frasier, Lisa Kudrow was struggling to secure work after having a recurring role as Ursula Buffay on Mad About You, a character who’d ultimately cross over into Friends as Phoebe’s twin sister. In a 2010 commencement speech for her alma mater, Vassar College, Kudrow revealed she was urged to “come in to read for his new show about six twenty-somethings who lived in New York and hung out at a coffee house.” Among a slew of other performers, Kudrow auditioned for and, though she’d ultimately land a role and be the second person cast in the series, she’d also be the only cast member who’d have to audition specifically for the man tapped to direct the pilot: James Burrows. “I did it and he went, ‘No notes,'” she remembers. “I left going, ‘That either means she’s beyond help and helpless, just like I always knew,’ or ‘Yeah, it’s perfect. I have no notes.'”

Nabbing the role of Phoebe, but in a state of anxiety over how things would go once production on the pilot commenced, Lisa Kudrow was “terrified” during her first week on Friends. She said of the experience, “Shooting the pilot that week I was like, ‘All right, here we go.’ And Phoebe was not the character that was part of this group really, that easily. There was a struggle.” As the director, Burrows was vocal about his concerns regarding how Phoebe fit into the group of titular friends, no doubt a concern that would make any performer uneasy about what lay ahead in the coming days. “And I was like, ‘Oh, my God. Here we go again,'” Kudrow said of the fear of losing another role. But the actress’ performance and comedic sensibilities quickly proved a perfect fit for the character.

Lisa Kudrow Was Perfect For Phoebe Buffay

With hindsight clear as day, it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else playing Phoebe Buffay, and it’s not lost on Kudrow that she nearly lost out on the role of a lifetime. In her speech at Vassar College, she remembered James Burrows acknowledging, “‘Well, it’s a good thing you got fired or you wouldn’t have been on this show.’ He was right. And it was a good thing I didn’t get Saturday Night Live and that the Romy and Michele pilot didn’t work out and every other disappointment that happened…they were like guide posts that kept me on my path.” And the rest, of course, is history. If anything can be learned from Lisa Kudrow’s sudden transition from losing a role to landing a life-changing one, it’s proof that crushing defeat can serve as a mere prelude to enormous success.

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