'Friends: The Reunion': How did Lisa Kudrow land Phoebe Buffay's role? Here's how twin Ursula got her name
For the cast of 'Friends', the roles changed their lives forever. The cast itself became synonymous with their roles, seeing that they perfectly embodied each of their characters. Casting for the same was not easy though, as it was important to find actors who could play the roles with ease.
However, for Ross Geller and Phoebe Buffay, turns out the characters were made for the actors, literally! 'Friends: The Reunion' spoke about just how important the casting process was and how the creators came across a cast that immortalized the show.
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David Crane, the executive producer, explained just how hard it was to cast Phoebe since the character was fun, quirky and kitschy. But during the audition process, Crane's partner Jeffrey Klarik, who was making another show — the popular 'Mad About You' — noticed that the character of Phoebe would suit an actor he knew. Kudrow at the time was cast as a waitress called Ursula on 'Mad About You'.
Crane noticed that Ursula's behavior and the way Kudrow brought that role alive made her the perfect fit for Phoebe. Interestingly enough, the creators did give Phoebe a twin sister by the name of Ursula, who was also a waitress.
Ursula and Phoebe, however, are vastly different when it comes to personalities. While Ursula comes off as distant, stuck up and vague, Phoebe is everyone's favorite hippie who is always bright and quirky and it's difficult not to love her. Kudrow brought both the characters to life beautifully even though both were polar opposites.
When it came to David Schwimmer, he had quit acting before the role of Ross came along. He was solely focusing on theater since he had not landed any roles. However, the creators had seen him audition before and as Marta Kauffman puts it, Schwimmer's hang-dog expression stuck with them. Right from the start, Schwimmer was meant to play Ross, due to his expression and voice. Although it took a bit of coaxing and reportedly gift baskets to get him to accept the role, he eventually did and ended up becoming Dr Ross Geller.
'Friends: The Reunion' will air on HBO Max on May 27.