Lisa Kudrow: ‘I would never take a picture of me naked under any circumstance’

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Friends has been off the air for ten years. Ten long years. But the six actors made enough money – and then some – from their Friends paychecks and syndication deals that none of them would have had to work again. For their post-Friends careers, I always had high hopes for Matthew Perry. He’s an underrated dramatic actor and when he started doing guest gigs on The Good Wife, I really hoped he would join the cast. I was disappointed though.

But ten years later, you know who is in the best shape? Lisa Kudrow. She’s a powerful TV producer and creative force and she’s loving her life and career. Web Therapy is a hit. The Comeback is having a comeback. And she executive produces Who Do You Think You Are? Lisa is still making that money, with a lot of creative freedom, and she has a solid personal life with her husband and teenage son. Kudrow had a wonderful interview with Vulture this week – you can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

She loves playing weird characters: “My favorite characters to play are people who aren’t aware of how they’re coming off. That’s what’s funny to me. Everybody has those moments.”

Creating Valerie Cherish on The Comeback: “I didn’t care if I became completely irrelevant, because Friends gave me a huge gift. Whatever I’m putting my name on is something that I want to do.”

Finding out that HBO wanted a second season of The Comeback: “Michael [Patrick King] and I were near tears in the parking lot after we met with HBO. We were sort of staring at each other like, ‘What happened?’”

The celebrity nude-photo leaks: “I can’t identify with that. I would never take a picture of me naked under any circumstance. Yeesh. No.”

What she thinks of ‘Girls’: “[I connected] because the question for me was, ‘Is it really like that now? Oh, no, that’s awful.’ That means nothing’s changed. It’s complete subservience to the guy, except with a better vocabulary and higher education and assertiveness in every area except the relationship.”

The frumpy floral housecoat in her office: “I won’t let us throw this out because it’s the one Meryl Streep wore,” she says. Streep had discovered the series early on and, after they got to know each other at a Vassar event, Kudrow warned her that she’d ask her to be on it. “This is the Meryl Streep stuff, so it’s not allowed to leave. Ever, ever, ever.”

She hates shopping: “I hate putting my arms through sleeves and it not going through the first time so you have to readjust the trajectory. On that micro level I hate it.”

How she came up with Web Therapy: “Then I thought. How funny if people didn’t leave their desk to do therapy and they just do three minutes at a time?”

Jon Hamm will guest star this season of Web Therapy: Hamm plays Jeb, a phone-sex operator for the elderly. “His business is called Absolute Last Call,” says Kudrow, practically hiccuping with laughter. In their first episode together, Hamm’s character talks to a client in the middle of therapy. “He has that Mercedes voice,” says Kudrow. “You know, ‘Hey, what are you wearing? Pink housecoat? Oh, yeah. Did you get it wet? Was it an accident?’ I’ve never broken that much, ever. I started crying I was laughing so hard.”

[From Vulture]

See? She just sounds happy and fulfilled. In real life, Lisa isn’t desperately clinging to a sliver of tabloid fame or trying to prove that she’s still some hot young thing. She’s just… creative. Talented. She owns who she is. And I’m really looking forward to Jon Hamm on Web Therapy!!

Here’s the trailer for the second season (nine years later) of The Comeback:

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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99 Responses to “Lisa Kudrow: ‘I would never take a picture of me naked under any circumstance’”

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  1. Gina says:

    Lisa, on behalf of people everywhere thank you for not getting naked for us, thank you.

    • Nina says:

      Why is that?

      • Artimis says:

        Agreed! She’s a beautiful woman, why the snark? 🙁

      • Mel says:

        Not only is she beautiful, she seems to be getting more attractive with age.
        AND she is highly intelligent. And genuinely classy.
        In Hollywood, such combinations are so rare that she is almost a class of her own.

    • Gina says:

      Sorry girls, on Friends I never like Phoebe Buffet. I guess it’s like a shooting the messenger kind of a thing. I do agree with her right not to nude shoot, a lot of younger Hollywood would save themselves a lot of embarrassment if they listened to her.

      • Cornelius says:

        I never liked Phoebe Buffet either but Lisa is hilarious in Web Therapy. You should check it out. Very unPhoebe like

      • Betty says:

        I also think Lisa Kudrow is very conservative in real life. I don’t meant politically but on a personal level. I believe she waited until marriage to have sex. She’s discussed this in interviews. Given this, I’m not surprised that she wouldn’t take nude photos of herself.

      • Mel says:

        She may or may not be conservative (nothing wrong with that), but that may not be the reason.
        I am certainly far from conservative – and I have a great body – but I wouldn’t do it either. This particular type of vanity strikes me as ridiculous.

        As a side note, I hated Phoebe but LOVED and enjoyed how she was played by Lisa.
        She is a wonderful actress.

      • Gina says:

        @ Mel: Phoebe seemed so much older than the other “friends.” I think Lisa is 50ish so it was what it was. I remember in the beginning when Lisa played the ditzy waitress in Mad About You, I think Phoebe’s twin. That role was funny and the quirkiness was expected and therefore appreciated.

      • FLORC says:

        Never liked Friends. Comeback, Episodes, Web Therapy are all great shows.
        Great actors evolving with time.

  2. ds says:

    I completely agree with her on the Girls subject… I had the same thoughts, but I think it’s also OK to be curious about your body and everyone has some sort of reason for taking a nude selfie. Doesn’t have to be vulgar or sexual… I wouldn’t generalize that.

    • sigh((s)) says:

      She didn’t generalize. She said I, I, and me. It was simply her opinion for herself.

    • Mel says:

      It may not be vulgar or sexual (though that one is difficult to avoid because of the sexualised perception of nudity in Western culture) – but I honestly fail to see why would anyone do that. Except for vanity, of course. And I personally find such vanity… I don’t know. Ridiculous, I guess. (All sorts of insecurity symptoms tend to look ridiculous.)
      So I am not surprised Lisa wouldn’t do it.

    • JaneFR says:

      We did it once for a friend who could never be enough (insert the adjective of your choice : thin, tanned, firm, whatever). She looked in the mirror and did not really see herself. Well, that was our opinion. So we talked her into taking nude photos of her, cut of her head and print the photo among some nude celebrity, headless photo. Asked her to grade them. She did not recognize herself and loved her body. While she’s to this day still learning to accept herself, it helped.

      • Antonym says:

        @janefr – what a kind and thoughtful thing to do for a friend. I find your genuine care for your friend’s emotional wellbeing touching.

  3. AJ says:

    I love her. She’s my absolute favorite and has been since I first saw Friends 20 yrs ago. Shes hilarious, brilliant and completely underrated. I’m always thrilled when she’s covered as it doesn’t happen too often.

  4. LadyRay says:

    I must be the only one that loves taking nudes. It’s just such a great way to bond with yourself and boost your confidence, imo. There’s definitely a correlation between when I’m very fit and the number of nudes I take. Sometimes when I look at them, I’m like, “is that me?!” I know I sound vain, but idgaf.

    **to be safe, I never include my face- even if it’s just sitting on my phone.

    • Gina says:

      Haha….I never include face either. Just in case!

    • Eazypeazy says:

      I love taking them too. I think I’m hot as fvck.

    • Erinn says:

      LOL – I’ve been there LadyRay – sometimes it gives me a great confidence boost. I leave the face out too. I have had a few face/lingerie photos before though. Nothing very revealing though in those ones.

    • Sam says:

      That’s great, but also consider that just because someone doesn’t take nude photos of themselves doesn’t mean that they’re uncomfortable with their body.

  5. Nina says:

    Am with her on that one. Nude selfie is a personal choice. Like a pr0n tape. Not everyone would do that either. Or twerking. Or implants. Or university education. Some folks are into naked photos and not into going to school. Some are into both. Some are into neither. Can we stop ripping into people for their personal choices? She did not judge, she simply made an observation. Different adults make different, perfectly legal, choices. She is an intelligent, well spoken woman. Move on, no trainwreck to see here.

  6. Maya says:

    Love Lisa – she is naturally gorgeous, classy, never attacks anyone and just gets on with her work.

    • Jegede says:

      Not so natural, as Lisa very much had a nose job early in her career.

      She’s never hidden it and school pictures prove it.

      Not slamming her for it at all. Everyone do what makes you happy and all. Just correcting

    • Olenna says:

      Ditto! Nose job or not, I think she’s great. Now, let’s fold scarves.

  7. Dorothy#1 says:

    Smelly cat, smelly cat what are they feeding you??

  8. noway says:

    On the nude selfies, I think it is a generational thing. I have to admit I am only a bit younger than Lisa and the fascination with selfies and nude selfies specifically with the iPhone generation is just bewildering to me. Okay I get some but these girls have thousands of pictures and poses and then nudes. Sorry I just can’t look at myself that much.

    • Godwina says:

      I think it’s generational, too. I’m Gen-X and it’s still very weird to me. And I’m someone who *loves* erotica and cheerleads people doing what they wanna do, including naked selfies. If it boosts confidence, relationships, and/or sexy-times, DO IT. DO IT PROUD. But yeah–I’m heading back into the dating pool with a good body and face and I guess I’ll be disappointing every man I meet because NOPE. I’m also just camera-phobic in general, though (I leave rooms for family photos), so my threshold is maniacally high. I may not be the best test-subject for Gen-X. 🙂

      • Susan says:

        I could not agree with you two more. I think (to paint with a broad brush) a lot of us Gen X ers weren’t raised with this body comfort/free sexuality that the millennialis were, and we are just a little less comfortable with the nudity. If you watch old 80s movies, even the “bad girls” were fully covered in shoulder pads, ruffles and big pleats. Haha.

      • lrm says:

        I’m gen x and i was raised with body comfort. I’m fine with being naked at a remote hotsprings with a bunch of friends, for example (male and female). [and there are plenty of old school nudity retreats and/or beaches where you will find gen x and boomers]. I think the generational thing is taking photos of yourself naked. And as someone else mentioned on this thread, that does not mean someone is not comfortable with their body or sexuality. I’m just not into taking naked pics of myself. Not shy or uncomfortable or whatever, just not interested in doing so. So,, again, naked photos and body/sexuality comfort can be mutually exclusive.

    • sigh((s)) says:

      I can’t either. Just taking that many pics of yourself in any capacity. To me it would completely tank my self esteem. How many pics do you have to take before you’re actually pleased with one? It’s demoralizing. Unless you’re amazingly photogenic.

      • Tapioca says:

        +1. I’m not in bad shape and happy with what I see in the mirror – but you never look quite the same in photos and a certain element of disappointment can be harmful to one’s self-confidence.

        Plus it just FEELS uncomfortably vain and self-absorbed to me to take regular selfies – nude ones would be off the chart!

      • Kitten says:

        I share your embarrassment of nude selfies.

    • AG-UK says:

      +1 def. It’s the age of the smartphone so I think it’s people under 30 I would imagine. I don’t care if my partner lived on the moon would just have to wait and SEE in person. 🙂

      • littlemissnaughty says:

        It’s definitely the smartphone/facebook generation. Technically, at 30, I could still belong to that generation but NOOOO. I’m already a crusty grannie in that respect. I don’t get the selfie thing in general, never mind nude selfies. I was on vacation recently and people around me were driving me insane with the selfie bs. Look around you! Take in the view, the sights, the atmosphere. How self-centered can you be?
        And yes, Jennifer Lawrence mentioned in her VF interview the long distance issue. Um, I get it but I still wouldn’t. Maybe because I don’t care all that much if he looked at p0rn occasionally.

    • JWQ says:

      29 years old here, is that too old? because I don’ t get it either!

    • Cankles says:

      I’m in my mid-twenties and I don’t get the nude selfie thing AT ALL. Hell, I don’t get the clothed selfie thing. I’ve never taken a selfie in my life.

    • Mel says:

      It is only “generational” insofar a lot – a LOT – of people have a herd mentality and ape others.
      Such people have existed in all ages.
      I am just glad I am not one. 🙂

  9. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I would never take a nude photo of myself, either, (and the universe is grateful) but I wish she had added something about it being a personal choice that does not mean you deserve to have your privacy violated.

    • Godwina says:

      Cosigned.

    • jwoolman says:

      I doubt that she was asked about anybody but herself. She had no reason to make some universal disclaimer. She didn’t say anything at all about other people. It’s just an interview and she was answering questions. I doubt very much that she spends any time being judgmental about other people taking naked shots of themselves. She was asked a question and answered it. Laughing while she did, I’m sure!

    • OriginalTessa says:

      We have no idea what the question was. That’s a bit of a problem when you start to pick apart her answer. If the question was “How would you feel if nude pictures of you leaked?” Her answer makes perfect sense. She doesn’t know. She can’t relate. She’s never done it and never will. Her answer, to me, seems to imply the question wasn’t about the broader topic, but about her specifically.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      Yes but it would be so exhausting if every celebrity in every interview had to qualify every single personal statement like that. As long as it’s clear that this is just her, I’m fine with it.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Good point everyone that I don’t know how the question was phrased. She may have just been asked “have you ever taken a nude selfie?”

  10. Sugar says:

    The Comeback is on Amazon Prime and I highly recommend watching it. It’s so good. It’s funny sad.

  11. Lucy2 says:

    It’s funny, I always thought Matthew would do the best out of the cast, and he’s had the worst luck of all of them. Lisa, Courteney, and Matt all have new shows, Jennifer has an OK film career, and I think David has been doing a lot of theater production. I’ve liked Matthew in everything he’s done since but none of the shows have stuck.
    Web Therapy is excellent.

    • Kiddo says:

      Doesn’t he have a bit of personal/health issues that have dogged him?

      • Bridget says:

        Perry has struggled with addiction for years.

        He’s also just had bad luck going back to TV. Studio 60 was supposed to be big… and it wasn’t. Mr. Sunshine and Go On as well. His shows just haven’t worked out, and it probably doesn’t help that he’s stuck to the network TV show format.

      • Jessica says:

        He tried to do a cable show but it didn’t get picked up. Amazing script though and supposedly the pilot they shot was one of the best that year, so who knows what went wrong there.

    • Diana B says:

      Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip was SO damn good! I can’t believe the network just gave it one season.

      • lucy2 says:

        I liked it too, but I really was starting to love Go On, and then it got cancelled. It was a really nice premise – all these very different people finding common ground in group grief counseling, and then forming a weird little family as they try to put their lives back together.

      • Diana B says:

        Yeah, Go on was heartbreakingly funny and I liked it aswell, but S60OSS I loved. It was such a great show, it had promise and he was terrific in it.

      • Jessica says:

        I loved Studio 60 the first time I watched it. Rewatching I can see Aaron Sorkin threw a bunch of political stuff in there that really didn’t make much sense for a show about making a sketch comedy program and it all got a bit messy.

        Perry was absolutely amazing in it though.

    • serena says:

      that’s because studios are full of BS these days! they produce a whole lot of tv series and then half of them get cancelled (while most of them are really good too). I’ve been so disappointed over some series that ended just with one season, and they were really good.

      Also, I think he’s all healthy now.

      • noway says:

        The networks and studios actually produce a lot less shows, and the television season is much shorter too. This means they have a shorter time to catch on. A show can get cancelled with just one show now it happens quite a lot. If it happened in the hey day we wouldn’t have a Cheers, Seinfeld or a lot of other classic shows.

  12. Lola says:

    Victim blaming. You go Lisa!
    Imagine somebody saying; “I don´t wear skirts / go to parties / go out at night, so I don’t identify with rape victims”.

    • Nikki says:

      She doesn’t say WHY she wouldn’t; for all we know, could just be insecurity w/ her body, or she could just feel it’s for younger folks. Since she doesn’t specify why at all, I just felt it could be her personal choice rather than victim blaming. I guess because I like her, I’m quite willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

    • Kitten says:

      You’re adding all this extra context that wasn’t even in the interview.
      It was more like “I don’t wear skirts” period, not “I don’t wear skirts so I don’t identify with rape victims”.

    • jwoolman says:

      More like “I don’t wear skirts so I have no idea what modern sizing means for me”. Really, since when do rape victims have anything to do with clothing choices?!? I don’t wear skirts myself, and such a weird connection wouldn’t even occur to me if I was asked. Honestly, people don’t have to make a general statement every time they say something.

    • Kiddo says:

      Well, as for non sequiturs, how about: I don’t wear hats, so my neighbor is a serial killer?

  13. ali says:

    Lisa I am with you. I am in my 30s and I am so confused about why taking nudes is so common.

    My self worth isn’t wrapped about what my body looks like but to each their own.

    • ML says:

      its so common because of the pressure men are putting on woman. I’m in my early 30’s and dating and just in the last couple of years, more and more have asked to send one. I’m just disgusted when men I’ve only been out with a short time and not even been intimate with would ever ask this, they never would have a few years ago. They act like they’re so entitled to it too, and I’m no fun because I won’t, like it’s just so normal to do it, I’m sorry but it’s just not and it has nothing really to do with sexually, it’s all about them.
      A friend told me girls as young as 12 are now being pressured into send nude pics! 12! Why has this become so common?

      • Kitten says:

        I’m 35 and anytime a dude has asked me for a nude selfie (which is scarily common) two things occur to me:

        1) F*ck no. I’m not going to make it that easy for you to see me naked.
        2) This dude is definitely not for me.

        My boyfriend now would never ever ask me for that. Now, I’m not saying that there’s ANYTHING wrong with nude selfies being exchanged between consenting parties. Really, it’s a personal choice.
        But my opinion is that if some rando that you just started dating is asking you for a nude selfie knowing that you’re not comfortable with that, he’s probably the type of pr*ck that will show it off to his friends.

        Maybe I’m making a big leap there, but that’s just been my experience with that type of dude.
        Respectful guys don’t ask for a nudie pic on the second date.

      • JWQ says:

        “if some rando that you just started dating is asking you for a nude selfie knowing that you’re not comfortable with that”

        Even if he doesn’ t know whether you are comfortable with it or not… you just don’ t ask about something like that if you have been dating for even a month or less! And you’ re right, if they ask, it’ s because they are going to show it to their friends, comment, and high-five each other for the hot tail one of them is going top bang! I would much prefer for a guy to ask me to have phone sex than a picture of me naked.

      • Tig says:

        Eek! You have totally wigged me out- guys you barely know ask for nude photos of you??? Good Lord! I cannot even fathom how that conversation begins- “where do you want to go for dinner? BTW- will you send me a nude photo?” Clearly I have been out of the dating pool for eons, but that is just so bizarre to me.

      • ML says:

        Kitten- Yeah that’s my reaction too when they ask, but I guess the point I was trying to make is that there really isn’t a type of guy that asks, I think that it’s becoming so normalized that a lot of men think its perfectly fine and not inappropriate to ask.

      • Original Lola says:

        I’m 31 and can’t imagine ever wanting to take one. My husband and I were long distance for a few months in the early days of our relationship and while there was dirty messaging and Skype, nude selfies just never came up. He’s gen X though so maybe he’s also not the demographic.

        I’d much rather spring for some tasteful professional nudes if I ever had a burning desire to immortalise my body in film. At least the lighting would be flattering and they would give you a bit of photoshop!

      • sigh((s)) says:

        TIG-right? It’s been forever since I dated, and it floors me what people expect now. How does that conversation come up for you ladies? I’m really asking because I have no frame of reference. I would be disgusted if I had to date again.

      • Wren33 says:

        God I am feeling old now too. I’m in my late 30s and married so I’ve been out of the dating pool for 10 years. Smart phone weren’t around when I was last dating. Texting was new and I didn’t start sending normal texts until about 5 years ago. I could never imagine sending a nude selfie to someone, but then again, it was never seen as a normal thing I was pressured to do.

    • Anastasia says:

      I’ve been out of the dating world since 1990 and it just baffles me. My daughter is 20 and now I’m wondering if guys ask her for nude selfies. Oy!

  14. Tippy says:

    Lisa turned down the Modern Family role that was ultimately given to Julie Bowen.

    David Schwimmer is heading back to TV to star in a new comedy from ABC, “Irreversible.”

    The “Friends” alum will star in and produce the show,

  15. Virgilia Coriolanus says:

    I loved her on Scandal….and she was the only Friends character that I liked. And I didn’t know that she exec. produced Who Do You Think You Are? That show is so cool……

  16. MissTrial says:

    Never got into Friends, it didn’t pull me.
    But, I enjoyed Kudrow’s work in The Opposite of Sex and Scandal.
    I just started binge watching the Web Therapy series and my, oh my, is it hilarious! Her dry deliveries and expressions are genius. The writing is pretty great too.

  17. DenG says:

    Of all the Friends cast, I like her best. My question is, what’s wrong with saying “it’s not for me” when talking about taking a nude picture? I don’t see judgment or blame, I see an opinion that “it’s not for me”.

  18. Jayna says:

    Matthew was great on The Good Wife. He is great in drama. I think I read they wanted him on full-time and he passed for a leading role in a sitcom, and it failed. He should have taken the full-time gig on The Good Wife.

  19. BlueeJay says:

    All the girls have done quite well after friends. The boys not so much. As for the nude photos. I agree with her. I just don’t get it. Why would anyone ever do that?

  20. serena says:

    I love her! So glad she’s doing well, as you said Kaiser I had a lot of expectation for Perry too.. I’m so disappointed because people/producers etc won’t see how talented he is.

    By the way I don’t get the naked pictures trend either. Just don’t.

  21. Sam says:

    Love her – and I also don’t see anything judgmental in her comments. She wasn’t speaking about anybody but herself. I’m also sort of annoyed by the undertone from a few people that if you don’t take nude selfies, you must hate your body.

  22. buzz says:

    Have you seen her personal story on Who Do You Think You Are? I think it gives some insight into why she is so grounded.

  23. Jess says:

    Love love love her! She’s so funny and talented, and I can’t believe her son is a teenager now, seems like just yesterday she was pregnant on friends, crazy.

  24. Ginger says:

    OMG! I have to see that Jon Hamm bit…that had me in hysterics! I was never a huge fan of Friends but I did watch it occasionally. Lisa as Phoebe was the best part of that show.

  25. beth hawkins says:

    Lisa, no one what to see you naked under any circumstances. She was never a sex symbol, so who will like to see her naked.

  26. holly hobby says:

    And she is the only female Friend who looks good for her age (ahem Courtney). I love her comments about Jon Hamm’s role. I actually burst out laughing.

  27. Caz says:

    I loathed Friends with a passion. Very pleased to see Kudrow doing great work and not resting on her laurels. Seems to have a good outlook on life. Not everyone’s out there snapping selfies (naked, duckface or otherwise). Admit to liking Perry in 17 Again (yes that movie with Zac Efron).

  28. DrFunkenstein says:

    Thank you.