Lisa Kudrow Felt Overlooked During Friends Run

Lisa Kudrow, known for her role as the eccentric Phoebe Buffay on the long-running sitcom Friends, has shared in recent interviews that she often felt overlooked and undervalued by her talent agency and parts of Hollywood during the show's decade-long run from 1994 to 2004.

In a conversation with The Independent, Kudrow, 62, recalled how some representatives at her agency dismissed her potential, referring to her simply as "the sixth Friend" alongside co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry. "Nobody cared about me," she said. "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." Despite these perceptions, Kudrow earned an Emmy Award in 1998 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of the free-spirited musician, whose quirky personality made her a standout in the ensemble.

Kudrow's reflections come as she promotes the third and final season of her HBO series The Comeback, which premiered on the streaming platform last month after an 11-year hiatus. The show stars Kudrow as Valerie Cherish, a...