Lisa Kudrow shot to fame with her portrayal of the eccentric character of Phoebe Buffay in the popular American sitcom Friends. The actress, who had the most underrated character, went on to pick up the 1998 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for the show. Phoebe Buffay undoubtedly had the deepest character arc, emerging from a dark past to becoming a radiant soul in the show. However, not many people know that the 60-year-old was a part of another Emmy Award Winning show, Frasier, before she joined Friends.

James Burrows, who directed both Friends and Frasier, got candid in an interview while promoting his book. He talked about the scene that became the reason for firing the Comeback alumna from Frasier, right after the pilot episode.

Friends director said Lisa Kudrow was unfit for Frasier

Helen Baxendale was not the only actress who had to face critical feedback from the Friends director. Kudrow had a short-lived stint on Frasier as Roz Doyle until Burrows pulled her off the show just three days into filming. Peri Gilpin replaced her character in the later episodes which the director believed was more suitable for the character. During a promotional interview with WBUR for his book, Directed by James Burrows, the director talked about the scene that convinced him to fire Kudrow. It was the Lupe Velez speech scene that did not work with Kudrow’s ethereal acting style, as it demanded a strong personality. 

The director shed light on his decision to let go of Kudrow and said, “What she does great is ethereal and it just didn’t work in that moment.” Even the Analyse This star herself admitted that she was not a good fit for Roz Doyle, during her appearance at Sirius XM’s The Howard Stern Show. The actress also went on to say “Oh, I am not this guy’s cup of tea”, taking a dig at the award-winning director. Unfortunately for Kudrow, this was not the end of her and Borrow’s journey.

During Friends’ casting, the news of the Frasier director being present at one of the auditions was very shocking for the actress. 

Lisa Kudrow on her experience working with James Burrows

After the turbulent experience of Kudrow with the Fay director, the actress felt very uncomfortable in the first few weeks of joining Friends. She revealed that Burrows repeatedly questioned the role of Phoebe in the show, asking, “Why are they friends with her?”. This made it difficult for the actress to be at ease in the initial days. On The Howard Stern Show, the actress also spoke about how she had to do an extra audition for Burrows. 

Further sharing her experience with the audition, the Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion star said that Burrows went “No notes”. This could have either meant that the director hated her audition or felt that it was perfect, leaving him with “no notes”. However, everything worked out for the best and she landed the role of the most intriguing character in Friends.

Let us know your thoughts about James Burrow’s interview in the comments below!