I was devastated when I was fired from Frasier – but I had the last laugh reveals TV icon
A TV icon has revealed how she was sacked from Frasier – before finding success on another TV show.
Frasier was a hit show during it’s run from 1993 to 2004 and starred Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane, the character he first played in Cheers.
The cast also included David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin.
However, Peri wasn’t the original choice for the character of radio producer Roz Doyle.
It was originally given to Lisa Kudrow, who started filming the pilot alongside Kelsey and Co.
However the director James Burrows stopped Lisa from filming scenes for the pilot and selected Peri Gilpin for the part instead.
Lisa, 61, has opened up about the disappointing blow early in her career, telling the Smartless podcast, “I didn’t film it. I got fired from Frasier.”
“I went to the network with Peri Gilpin. I think they were just correcting a mistake. Peri should have always been Roz.”
At the time Lisa revealed she was ‘devastated’ but fate had better things in store for her.
In a true Sliding Doors moment, it set her on a path to her perfect role of Phoebe Buffay on Friends.
But before this she bounced back with a small part as a ‘waitress’ on a show called Ursula in ‘Mad About You’ .
She took the part against her agent’s wishes but was invited back for five more episodes which took care of her ‘rent for the year’.
The writer/producer of the show, Jeffrey Klarik, suggested to his partner David Crane that she would be ideal for casting auditions for Friends.
Once again Lisa found herself in front of James Burrows. Except this time, she was ‘absolutely’ the right person for the role.
The sitcom, also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
Yet Lisa was the only one who had to audition as she had ‘had just gotten fired from Frasier’ and James was directing that series too.
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She told the Metro: ‘When I had my audition, I did it…it was just this small room.
“He is sitting at a desk. I’m in a chair, and the audition was like a little monologue.
“And when I’m done, he just went, “No notes”. And I thought, “Alright. I don’t know what that means. It’s hopeless”.’
Lisa played Phoebe on Friends for 10 seasons from 1994, and the show ended in 2004.
Last year James Burrows said of Lisa’s brief stint on Frasier that it was the Lupe Velez speech and suicide scene which was the decider.
“Kelsey is such a strong personality. What Lisa does great is ethereal and it just didn’t work in that moment,’ he said in an interview with WBUR.