Lisa Kudrow opens up about early jitters playing Phoebe Buffay and Matt LeBlanc’s support in dealing with it

Remember Phoebe Buffay, the quirky masseuse with a heart of gold and a song for every situation? Well, it turns out even the most iconic characters can cause their actors a little anxiety! In a recent interview on Sirius XM's Where Everybody Knows Your Name, Lisa Kudrow, the actress who brought Phoebe to life on F.R.I.E.N.D.S. , revealed how her co-star Matt LeBlanc played a key role in calming the jitters she faced in the early seasons.

For the first two seasons, Lisa felt like she was constantly struggling to capture Phoebe's unique brand of offbeat logic. "The things she said were so outrageously illogical," Lisa shared, "that justifying them felt like a constant 'Oof!'" She poured her heart and soul into the character, but by season two, a creeping self-doubt began to set in, as reported by a media source. "I felt like I was slacking off," she confessed. "I wasn't putting in the same kind of effort I had been."

Enter Joey Tribbiani (played by Matt LeBlanc). Sensing Lisa's frustration, Matt would offersome simple yet profound advice: "No, you know who the character is now. You don't need to do the work you did. You got it." This reassurance instilled some confidence in Lisa. "It was sort of like someone was shaking me out of a daze," she explained. "Suddenly, I realized, 'Oh!'"

Matt LeBlanc's supportive intervention helped Lisa Kudrow find a new level of comfort with Phoebe. It was a reminder that sometimes, the best acting comes from letting go and trusting your instincts. This heartwarming story highlights the power of friendship and collaboration, even on the set of a beloved sitcom like Friends.