Lisa Kudrow tells Jennifer Aniston "part of me died" when 'Friends' ended; says reunion will be unscripted

Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation(LOS ANGELES) -- In a video chat with fellow former Friends star Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow got personal about why it took her so long to get back to TV following the run of their NBC sitcom.

"When I'm producing my own thing, that's different, but I have a commitment issue since Friends, to be honest with you," she told Aniston in a video chat for Variety.

"Friends -- it's not like, 'Oh, it was such hard work for 10 years.' It's not that. It was that I know that show worked because we all committed to each other too. It wasn't just committing to a role, committing to a contract. We all still love each other. Our cast is like that, and that's why that worked."

Kudrow added, "I think part of me died. I can't do that again."

For Aniston, her time in COVID-19 lockdown meant she's doing what a lot of people have been: watching Friends on streaming. "I love stumbling on a Friends episode," Aniston admits. "This one time I was with Courteney [Cox]...And then we stumbled on -- there's bloopers online -- and we sat there at the computer like two nerds watching these bloopers laughing at ourselves."

The pair also shared some hints at their cast's apparently "not scripted" forthcoming reunion special for HBO Max. 

Kudrow said, "I will not be Phoebe," to which Aniston offered, "I will not be Rachel, although I kind of am. Well, we're all sort of little fragments of [our characters] Not really. But yeah."

By Stephen Iervolino
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