Lisa Kudrow is opening up about how it felt to be underestimated on the NBC sitcom, Friends.
While speaking to The Independent on April 4, Kudrow confessed, “Nobody cared about me. There were certain parts of [my talent agency] that just referred to me as 'the sixth friend.’”
Kudrow, who starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry, went on to say, “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 later proved her talent agency wrong by starring in film and television shows long after Friends wrapped up. Most notably, she has received acclaim for her HBO series The Comeback, which recently returned for its highly-anticipated third season on March 22.
On The Comeback, which premiered in 2005, the 62-year-old actress plays Valerie Cherish, an image-obsessed former sitcom star, who is desperate to sneak her way back into the spotlight, no matter how many people try to tear her down in the process.
The series has acquired a massive fanbase over the years, particularly within the gay community. Kudrow is highly aware of her impact within LGBTQ circles, and expresses a mutual appreciation. She says, “I’ve always felt safer when gay men were running things. And I’ve always felt like gay men just get me.”
Showrunner of The Comeback, Michael Patrick King says of this connection, “It goes back to the resilience of people who aren’t chosen…It’s very queer. It’s very Lisa.”
Tune in to brand new episodes of The Comeback, Sundays at 10:30 on Max.
