Lisa Kudrow reveals playing Phoebe Buffay on Friends triggered body insecurities

Arguably one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, Friends has been a happy and safe space for many people around the world. Even today, 20 years after the show ended, it warrants a regular screening spot on TV channels.

Insecure character

As such, there’s something a little disturbing about knowing that Lisa Kudrow aka Phoebe Buffay had her weight insecurities triggered while working alongside Friends co-stars Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston.

Lisa confessed during the Podcrushed podcast that she wanted to change her appearance after seeing her co-stars on set. Mirror reported that filming for her greatest and career-defining role during that time had a severe impact on her confidence. Lisa confessed:

It wasn't until Friends that I realised, 'Oh, I don't look like I thought I looked.'

And that's what was so jarring, and that's when it was like, 'Oh, I've got to actually lose weight? I have to diet? Shoot.'

It was in her head

Lisa reflected on her youth as she opened up about experiencing body dysmorphia in an unconventional sense.Body and Soul confirmed that body dysmorphia was the reason she felt so insecure about her looks. Lisa said:

I had body dysmorphia in the way of like ‘I’m a stick, just like my sister, just like my dad’ and I wasn’t… I thought I was just really skinny and I could just do whatever.

She further explained:

I'm not trying to say I was overweight either. I was not. I just had no idea the shape of my actual body.

The 59-year-old star, who initially put the insecure feeling down to ‘good tailoring,’ ultimately accepted her body and learned to love it. She added:

I just realised, 'Oh, no - it's okay. This is just what I look like. That's okay. Do what you need to do to be healthy, but this is your body and it's okay.'

Sources Used

Mirror: Lisa Kudrow confesses Friends co-stars bodies triggered her weight insecurity

Body and Soul: Lisa Kudrow gets candid about her body insecurities while filming Friends