Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe Buffay was an integral part of Friends’ ragtag group, staying true to her wildly blunt avatar while being just as beloved as the other five. Though there was no particular order of importance attached to the ensemble, Lisa Kudrow has revealed that she wasn’t always viewed on equal footing as her co-stars on the hit NBC sitcom, which is now back on Netflix after a three-month hiatus.
Kudrow’s comments are followed by additional remarks about how she was overlooked when Friends was on air, with little confidence shown in her potential at the time.
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Lisa Kudrow Was Underestimated & Treated As The Sixth Friend
In an interview with The Independent, Kudrow reflected that she was referred to as "the sixth friend" in a dismissive way, despite her breakout success on the show. While her portrayal of Phoebe Buffay became one of the show’s most iconic performances, earning her an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1998, Kudrow recalled that she was still often underestimated during the time.
"Nobody cared about me," Kudrow told The Independent. "There were certain parts of [my talent agency] that just referred to me as ‘the sixth Friend'." The Friends star added that her success on the show was attributed to her luck, rather than talent:
But 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'.
The conversation comes as Kudrow continues to appear in the third and final season of The Comeback, which she co-created with Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City). In the series, Kudrow plays Valerie Cherish, an aging sitcom star attempting to revive her career after a long hiatus. Originally aired on HBO in 2005, The Comeback was revived nearly a decade later in 2014, with the final season now streaming on HBO Max.
Lisa Kudrow Put in One of the Series' Best Performanced as Phoebe Buffay on Friends
While Kudrow’s Phoebe on Friends may have been positioned in a less glitzy role than her co-stars with more traditional "glamorous" storylines, she was often driving the impetus on the show. A true comedic force, much of Phoebe’s dialogue drove the setup and punchline to unforgettable scenes, such as her denial of evolution or getting a confession from Chandler, as well as playing a key role in the emotional growth of her friends and family.
Phoebe’s character only became shrewder and sharper with time, and thankfully did not fall victim to the flanderization trope, which is often the case with long-running comedic roles. Phoebe married Mike Hannigan as the show headed toward its conclusion, marking a full-circle arc for her character.
