Lisa Kudrow has claimed ‘no one cared about’ when she was one of the main stars of Friends.
The 62-year-old starred as Phoebe Buffay for all 10 seasons of the blockbuster sitcom, that was the world’s number one show from 1994 to 2004.
Alongside Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry, Kudrow was catapulted to extraordinary levels of fame over night when Friends became a rare television phenomenon.
Phoebe was the eccentric outsider of the group, by far the most ‘off-the-wall’ character of the gang which arguably made it increasingly difficult for Kudrow to find her lane outside of Friends.
While other cast members were in high demand, particularly Aniston, Kudrow has revealed the phone didn’t start ringing like it did for her co-stars.
‘Nobody cared about me,’ she told The Independent. ‘There were certain parts of [my talent agency] that just referred to me as “the sixth Friend”.’
She continued: ‘There was no vision for me, and no expectations about the kind of career I could have. There was just, like, “Boy is she lucky she got on that show.”’
Kudrow eventually became the first Friends cast member to win an Emmy in 1998, clinching the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
She’s also arguably has the most cricitally-acclaimed career away from Friends, starring in the timeless cult classic Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, with the sequel moving forward with ‘full force’ according to Deadline.
Kudrow’s also previously been nominated for another shot at an Emmy as Valerie Cherish in The Comeback that, ironically, just made its long-awaited comeback on HBO Max, which finally launched in the UK last month, with its third season arriving after an 11-year break.
The Comeback follows Cherish, a washed up actor clinching on to every last crumb of fame she can get and capturing her desperation on film for a reality TV docuseries.
The third and final season addresses the impact of AI on the TV industry and sees Cherish appear as a predictably disastrous contestant on The Traitors US, inspired by the UK’s very own Linda Rands from season three.
Kudrow and her muse were recently introduced on The Claudia Winkleman Show which was clearly a thrill for everyone involved.
The Comeback is available to stream on HBO Max now.
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