Friends Star Lisa Kudrow Explains Why She Was Fired From Frasier

Lisa Kudrow recalls why she was fired from Frasier before joining Friends. The actress was previously cast as Roz Doyle in the Cheers spinoff. But she was removed from the job, with Peri Gilpin taking over and playing the part until the sitcom wrapped in 2004.

While Friends has more brand recognition and enduring popularity, Frasier was also a revered sitcom during that time. Springboarded by the events of the classic NBC show, Cheers, the offshoot focused on Frasier Crane as he moved back to Seattle from Boston to start his life over. On the West Coast, he was reunited with his brother, Niles, and father, Martin. He also started a daily radio show where he gave advice to callers; this was where he met Roz, his witty and sometimes chaotic producer. While their initial dynamic was contentious, they eventually developed a close bond throughout their years of working together.

Playing Roz is arguably what Gilpin is best known for, but had things turned out differently, Kudrow would’ve played the part. In a new interview with The Stern Show, the Friends actress recalls what led to her being fired from Frasier. As it turns out, it had something to do with legendary director James Burrow who didn’t think she’s right for the part.

“I wasn’t right for the part [or] for the chemistry of the group. So that wasn’t working but I did think, ‘Oh, I am not this guy’s cup of tea’.”

Ironically, Kudrow was reunited with Burrow a year later since she was cast and fired from Frasier when she had to audition for him for the role of Phoebe for Friends. Understandably, the actress was very nervous given their past professional interaction. Burrows didn’t have any notes after her screening which made her wonder if it went well or bad; clearly, it was the former. This proved that Burrows’ sentiments about her as Roz weren’t personal, it was purely from an objective standpoint. Throughout the course of Friends, Kudrow and Burrows would work again as he directed 15 episodes of the sitcom.

While Frasier was titled after a single character, it was really more of an ensemble piece, much like Friends and Cheers were. Frasier’s personal story kicked off the events of the spinoff, but in the course of its run, there’s also a significant focus on every character in the main cast. In fact, there’s even an argument that the reason why it was so good was because of its mostly well-rounded plotlines. Given this, each player in the show was arguably as important as Frasier, including Roz, so, it made sense that Burrows wanted to make sure to find someone who fits the role. In any case, everything turned out to be for the best. It’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing Phoebe other than Kudrow, and if she was committed to another project at that time, she may have missed on the part.

Source: The Stern Show

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