Lisa Kudrow: Walking Into Rooms
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That's 15% off at SaatchiArt.com. S-A-A-T-C-H-I-Art.com. Ever wish your favorite TV show had twice as many episodes? Everyone knows that feeling. And so does Discover. Everyone wants more of their favorites. That's why Discover doubles another favorite thing. Cash back.

That's right. Discover automatically doubles the cash back earned on your credit card at the end of your first year with Cash Back Match. Now that's a real crowd pleaser. Everyone knows how it ends. Double the cash back. See terms at discover.com slash credit card. Hello. Hi, Rob. I hear that you have construction going on at your house right now and you've told them to skedaddle while we talk. We're just redoing our roof.

Oh, well, that's... It's just that. But they're going to take lunch. That's lunch, everybody. Five minutes. We've got a podcast with Rob Lowe. Welcome to Literally. It's me, Rob Lowe. Lisa Kudrow. Wow. I mean, I don't even know where to begin. Friends! I'd sing the song now, but then you'd turn off the show, and that would not be good. I want you to continue to listen. We've got Friends stuff coming up. We have some Scoop...

And there's some stuff about the Friends reunion you're going to want to know. But Lisa is not only Phoebe. She's a very, very, very brilliant woman and a great mom and wife and normal person in this crazy world.

And just legitimately one of the great people and smart and funny. And this conversation went on and on and on and on. I think we talked for 57 hours, but we've happily edited it down to something that's going to be palatable for you. One of my favorites coming up, the great Lisa Kudrow.

There's so much to talk about. By the way, I'm so psyched to have you on my humble little show. Humble little show. I'm having fun doing this, I have to say. It's pretty great. Everyone who's doing this says it's really fun. It is fun. I didn't know it would be as fulfilling as it is. Part of it is just having people on who...

You know, do talk shows for a living, but getting to talk to them about stuff that nobody else would ever ask them. Right. You know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. First of all, I'm obsessed. I'm just going to get right to it because I'm obsessed with something that came up. Not that I need to research you because I could talk to you forever without looking at anything. But I found a – this can't be true. That on the last season of Friends. Yeah. They were searching your car. Oh, yeah.

No, my car. And I don't think it was the last season. It was throughout. Okay. It was like on and off for 10 years. They were searching. They, and I want to know who they are because that's very ominous. We're searching your car to see if you were stealing things from the set. That was Warner Brothers security. Every, like when I would leave.

And sometimes they would search my car and I'd go back and ask the rest of the cast, like, so do they search your car, too? And they're like, no. Like, why? I mean, like, do they know I'm on the show or it was funny. Do you think you have the face of a criminal? I do not have the face of a criminal. I don't know. I mean, I just think maybe they just thought, you know, I don't know who this person is.

But I know she's not an actress and she's just leaving the lot and we're meant to search everyone's car. Do you think they were like, this person has been on the lot a lot. I don't. And I can't figure out why. They didn't remember me from like one time to the next. I mean, I was so forgettable to them that they just like, oh, all right, we better search the car. I would have pulled up and been like, listen, yo.

Jennifer Aniston has the face of a criminal, not me. If anyone's stealing anything, it's Aniston. I don't think I ever walked off with anything until the end. And then I took things. What did you take? I took a couple of tops that Phoebe wore. I took all of the Phoebe rings. Matthew Perry, I think he got permission.

as a gift gave me this cookie jar that said time that was in Monica and Rachel's apartment because I, one time needed to reference the time and I forgot the

We all forgot that I should wear a watch and there was no. And I saw that cookie jar and just went, oh, look at the time. I got to go. Matthew after was like, did you just point to the cookie jar and say, oh, look at the time? That's very funny. That's awesome. I know. I'm such an idiot. It's fun. I do stupid things and it's really funny. I just want to take a little bit more of a deep dive on this because I know that it sounds like a one off thing.

And but but I think it's emblematic of a larger issue because you have to look friend. You guys were doing friends when we were doing the West Wing. Right. Your your stage is right near the gym. I would go to the gym every lunch break.

during the work day and you were never there. None of you ever, you never worked. None of you people ever, you just didn't work. Right. What year was that? It was the last, so 99. So you're coming, that's towards the end, right? Well, in the middle. Is that the middle? That's in the middle. Yeah, that's in the middle. That's when we were allowed to start saying, listen. Although 99, we were still working kind of hard. You're like, we only want to make this show

If we can make it for 20 minutes a day, a week. No, that's not. That's what it seemed like. But that's not true because we, you know, that show when we would, you, you've done a multi-camera show, right? Yep. Have you?

I have. They were all terrible. Okay. But, you know, you rehearse. Yes. And then you do it in front of an audience, a half-hour show, a 26-minute, whatever year it is, right? Yeah. And most places it takes like two hours to do 20 minutes in front of an audience. But our writers, you know, and our showrunners were so diligent, they, you know, it could be better. So we would take six to eight hours.

to shoot a show. And when we started, we were starting the show at like six o'clock at night, eight o'clock at night, you know? So it felt like theater at night. And so then we're not done till like two in the morning. So then we started to request, let's do it earlier so that, you know, our whole

We have no weekend. We have Saturday. Yes. And then part of Saturday and then Sunday. But because it would just take so long. So, yeah, we did. We did make that request. You were able to cut those hours down a ton because, you know, and, you know, our dramas, as you know, are also they take even longer to do on the West Wing.

We wrapped Saturday mornings at 530 a.m. Yeah. Every single Friday. Yeah. No, it's too much. No, that's too much. No, I wouldn't. That's I would never have been able to do that.

But it is an easier schedule. A multi-camera show is ridiculously easy. You're just rehearsing. And after a while, we've all got it down. There aren't that many notes from, you know, Marta and David from the writers. You know, there aren't that many notes for us because we've got the characters down.

So they know what they need to rewrite. It's mostly story stuff. They're not fretting the beating the jokes, you know, if they can find a better joke. So, yeah, that there just wasn't rehearsal time wasn't we didn't need as much rehearsal time. So the days got shorter. When did you first know that Friends had become the Beatles? When we were on Oprah.

after our first season and she said she they made this packet like this package showing people you know in um what they were like internet coffee houses with internet like chat rooms and stuff and then people were having parties to watch together and she was showing us all that and we were just like huh and she just looked at us and said you don't know you all don't know any of this

And we just went, eh, did you? No. You're like, they're searching my car. Of course, I don't know that I'm a member of the Beatles now. Security still doesn't fully trust me. Yeah. But maybe because I didn't have a nice enough car. Oh, okay. Because I was really conservative. Does that make sense? You waded right into this. Don't blame me now. What? Because you started it. What'd I say? The parade of...

Of expensive automobiles. Well, at first. That would roll up to that set. I remember Brad Whitford in his Prius. Yeah. Just shaking his fist. He'd be like, David Schwimmer, you and your Maseratis. It was, you guys had a showroom. You had an expensive used car showroom by the end. Yeah. Not me. No, not you? I, well, the most expensive car I had when I was a Mercedes. What?

Like sedan. Very, very respectable, very normal. Then I got, which I loved, like a Lexus, you know, those little sort of SUVs. Yep. Yeah. I had a kid. So it must have been, the thing is, you were, people forget, you were married, you had a small baby, you were not, you were in a different phase of your life than everybody else in the cast, really, right? That's right. Until the very end, Courtney, well...

you know, was pregnant that last season. Yeah. That's got to have added something really cool and interesting and different to the, to the dynamic when it's a click, it's literally friends, but you're totally ahead of everybody in, in leading your life. How did, how did that ever manifest itself? I'm trying to think, I mean, when I was there, I was there and I,

You know, it's not like because my son was so little, I think he was five or six when we finished. You know, a set really isn't a place for a toddler to be running around and aware of like, OK, the bell rang, you know, it wasn't a fun place for him. So he wasn't there that much. Actually, it turns out. Yeah, I can see that. Right. Right.

I mean, it's fine for a quick visit or, but not like to spend all day with mommy. Cause, and then I also did not like him experiencing me, not as mommy. Cause Phoebe is not his mother. Phoebe doesn't,

I have children, you know, and I didn't. But and then as a consequence, so I'd be when I was home and we're watching something and there's Jennifer, like the show is on. And then there's Jennifer and Julie. My son went, Mommy, I was like, no, that's you know, that's a different part. You can't see. That's a different person.

Or is that just wishful thinking? Oh, my God. That's too funny. I mean, when he did, like, see Jennifer, he'd, like, crawl into her lap and, like, all right. What are you going to do? You prefer her. A lot of people do. That's fine. Okay.

She's lovely. Yeah. How much of it is the hairstyle, really, truthfully? How much of Jennifer Aniston's success can we brim on Chris McMillan? No. And the Rachel? No. Absolutely not. Not. She looks good in any- She was fantastic from the first minute she was Rachel. From the first minute. Yeah.

I mean, it's nothing to do with the hairstyle. You trying to get me to like, yeah, that's ridiculous. I'm just looking. I'm just looking for clickbait. Really? It's all ask anybody who knows me. This is nothing but a clickbait trap. The show. It's all just gotcha questions after gotcha questions. Do you know, I don't think I ever told you that my very first sort of, uh,

Well, I went to a Christmas party and it was my first time I was at a party where there were celebrities. And it was I was like 20 something and friends. And I don't know how we became friends. I became friends with.

Melissa and Sarah's aunt, Stephanie. Oh, yes. Yes. She was fantastic. She's great. Stephanie. Yeah, of course. And she brought me to the family Christmas party. And so you were there.

And I was like, oh, no, God, I don't belong here. What? That's Rob. That's Melissa Gilbert. Oh, my God. Oh, they're the most beautiful couple I've ever seen. They're beautiful. Why did I even think I could be in this business? I get it. No way. I get it. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah.

It was a thrilling thing to see in real life. Like people that beautiful, what do they look like in real life? And it's like, oh, God, they're that beautiful in real life. Holy cow. You were so nice to say that. I was dying. I mean, first of all, not true. It's not nice. It's facts. Is it facts? I mean-

These are facts. I mean, there's, you know, some beauty is subjective, but then there's the kind that's objective. I mean, and that's you, Melissa. I mean, in real life, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Yes, she was. She was beautiful. Still is beautiful. And I remember those Christmases at Melissa's house because she comes from a long line of stand-up comics. And it's the first time I had ever seen Melissa.

old time comedians and experienced how competitive comedians can be. And I remember being struck by the fact that everybody was sitting around a couch and one by one, they would get up and stand up to talk. They would go, well, I mean, that reminds me of a story when I was working at the Brown Derby and they would stand up and I was like, what is going on? Yeah. I mean, I'm just like a Midwestern goyim. I don't know from this world.

Wait, I listened to one of your books. I thought you were in Malibu. I was in Malibu when I was 13, but previous to that. The dangerous time to be in Malibu. Oh, it was great to live in Malibu at 13. It was all, it was all, there were no parents. The parents were all doing est, you know, letting the kids, you know, raid not only the Coke vial and the cookie drawer. It was fantastic. But that's what I mean. Can you imagine? I mean, yeah.

You didn't raise your kids like that. I went the total opposite way. I'm a total disciplinarian, big time, like academic, you know, police and tried to beat every living creative instinct out of them. You did? Hmm. All right. I remember. Why? Because it didn't work out for you? Well, yeah.

Yeah, because it's been – being creative has been so detrimental to my life. I know, huh? Look, but you also know that it's that weird thing of what we do is –

Listen, Henry Fonda thought he was not going to work again to the day he died. Okay. And... That's just like some therapy could help out with that. Well, I've done that too and continue to do so. Right. I've thought that too. We all think that. And I was like, wouldn't it be great to have... I don't want my kids to grow up with this insecurity and I'd like to have some stability and not all the kooky, crazy pitfalls and...

And I remember like going to like different schools to put them in or not put them in. And like, we're very creative here. We put on the school play every year. I'm like, I don't need that. They see that all the fucking time in my life. I need to teach them how to multiply. Right. How about some long division? Yeah. How about that as an opening gambit?

Well, most schools cover it. So that's what I did with my boys. I don't know what my point is. It sounds like I'm trying to say, well, you've made a mistake. Like, I don't know why I'm arguing with you. No, and you're not arguing. Because you're right. I mean, we did too. We had our son in a very traditional school. And, you know, it wasn't a great fit, it turns out, because he was more creative and...

Well, creative, but that's a good thing. If you really truly are creative, right, it's going to come out no matter what you do. Right. And that's when you're good to go. Right, got it. I had somebody on the show who told me some great old-time actor said to a young actor, quit if you can. Yeah, yeah.

And that's really what it's about. I didn't want to lead with the creative. I wanted to lead with the other because knowing the creative will get through no matter what. And indeed, my oldest son, sorry, my youngest son, John Owen, who this reminded me of you reading about you. He's a published author in a research paper on stem cell biology, as you are with headaches, as it turns out. Right.

A lot of people don't know that about Ms. Kudrow. Very smart cookie. And you went into a traditional –

you know, route of medicine and research and the creative. You can't, it's like that opening shot of the Beverly Hillbillies where the oil comes out of the water. You just can't stop it. Yeah. You know, also, I feel like these younger people have a different kind of self-esteem. It's a lot, there's something, it's stronger than ours. Yeah.

Why is that? I agree. Why is that? Well, I think partly because of a combination of the way they were parented and then at school, the level of respect they were shown, you know, at school by not their peers. That's never changed. But even amongst their peers, it's a little better. I feel like, you know, the crazy meanness of.

you know, is that used to just be allowed because that's what kids do. They'll figure it out. You know, that stuff. It's just, it's better. And, and they just seem a little more centered. Well, that's what I'm seeing. I'm sorry. That's what I'm seeing in the people who are actors or, or in the arts, you know? Yeah.

That's what I'm seeing. I'm very optimistic looking at the kids. Me too. Really super optimistic. It's so different just the way they treat each other. And also just it does seem like there's just like this underlying fear.

What is it? It's just like an improved level of respect for each other. It's true. And they also, like you say, the schools are so different. One of the courses Johnny got an A-plus in. The only A-plus he got at Stanford was in women's studies. And I was like, well, I did women's studies. It wasn't at Stanford. It was the Hard Rock Cafe. Yeah.

And was it women's studies? Probably not. Not really. No. I like when my producer, Devin, who Devin is on my screen here. And I like when my producer, Devin, gives me the look. It's the look my mom used to give me. It's the exact same look. It's like laughing and the shaking of the head with like a thought bubble that says, oh, that Rob. No, but Hard Rock Cafe is known for its two full weeks just on...

Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Hard Rock Cafe was as lame as it sounds. And it sounds lame. I'm very aware was the pinnacle of hip, fun,

Show, do you love it? The Hard Rock Cafe. Hard Rock Cafe. Lame. How lame were we in the 80s? But you, were you on that scene? No, absolutely not. I mean, A, I wouldn't have been invited or tolerated there, but also. Tolerated. But yeah. We won't tolerate it. We won't tolerate her here. But also, I mean, nightclubs were death to me. I mean, that is like being in a prison cell.

Being in a nightclub. I don't like crowds. A lot of times people ended up in actual prison cells. Well, yeah, but I don't like crowds. I don't like mobs. And any gathering of more than 20 people to me in too small a space can become a mob. And then you add like music and dancing and

I mean, I'm like someone from 1950s and rock and roll, you know, makes kids crazy. You know, that was my mindset about it. Like concerts at a big arena. I just would sit the whole time going, how do I get out? Where are the exits? When everyone is stampeding, how do I get out alive? It's such a weird thing I have. I...

I think that's actually pretty great. Having been in a stampede once. Oh, no, really? Yeah, I was at the, and the whole thing was covered up in the papers the next day. It was in Las Vegas. It was after Mike Tyson bit Evander Holifield's ear off in the ring. And you were there, of course. People were so irate. It was the MGM.

People spilled out into the casinos, started overturning tables and stealing the chips. Oh! And then there was gunfire. Whoa! And then they, or as they said in the paper, in a minor incident, champagne corks popping caused confusion. Oh. Meanwhile,

It was gunfire in the casino. You were there? People stampeded. It was really, really, really scary. I'm sweating hearing about it. So where'd you go? What'd you do? How'd you survive? I took, I was with Cheryl and I took her down a hallway. There was nobody in the hallway, but there were people, you know, a hundred people behind us coming down this little narrow hallway and there was a door and it was open.

And as we got close to the door, a security guard saw us, eyes got wide and went to shut the door. And I was worried about being crushed. So I lowered my head and I was like a linebacker. Yeah, yeah. It was like Michael Strahan putting a hit.

And we got through the thing and then we went up and a friend had a room and we hid up in the hotel. That wasn't in the papers? That wasn't recorded at all? None of it. None of it was in the paper. Why? Why do you think? Why not? I think it's still a company town, you know? I mean, listen, the Bellagio got robbed a couple of years ago. Yeah.

And not like not really a word. Oh, wow. Yeah. Yeah. You know, my my grandfather, my mother's father died in Las Vegas at a table while he was playing something. And I kept looking. There were no there was no like Las Vegas newspaper in 1949. So I was like, wouldn't it be reported somewhere if someone died? And then you're just making me making it all up.

Makes sense. Not in Las Vegas. Not in Las Vegas. Not in Las Vegas. Yeah. Hold that thought. We'll be right back.

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Hey, Rob. Yes. I mean, I guess we should talk about what you want to talk about, but... No, we want to talk about... I just want to say thank you for doing Who Do You Think You Are? Remember when you did Who Do You Think You Are? Of course I remember. It's gotten me on a...

continuing journey of continuing to look at my ancestry. Thank you for making the show. Yeah, it's a good show. Here's me. Yeah. Instead of no, you're welcome. And yes, I love it. Thank you. But thank you mostly for doing it. It was such that was one of my favorite episodes. It was so extraordinary. And, you know, it took us like three years to collect all the research because that was before a lot of things were digitized.

It's, it is, um, I remember it vividly. I, first of all, I, I've always loved you and been a fan and, and I love that idea. And I loved the, the, the show. And it was one of those things where you go, oh my God, am I really going to eight days and I'm going to travel somewhere and I don't know where, and it's daunting. And I was like, one of the things I've, I've learned, I tell people is that yes, is usually the answer. Yeah. Yeah.

And every time I've said yes to a sort of jump ball, like, do I really want to go on this trip? Or do I really want to have dinner with this person? Usually it's ended up being something special. And this doing your show and going on that journey was so moving to learn about my family's history. It was extraordinary. It's an incredible history, too, that we don't learn about. We don't learn about it.

But at all. Yeah. No, I know. And this is it's a tricky show because it's not like it helps anyone's career that you're taking eight days to go shoot something, you know. But it's such a fantastic, moving, emotional experience that just connects you to so many things you had no idea and parts of history you're connected to. But I'm honestly did you were you really because, you know, it seemed like the.

You know, we know what the kind of what the journey might be, you know, because we know what the documents are. And, you know, we kept it the way the researchers discovered it, which is.

Yes, you have an ancestor who someone submitted an application for Daughters of the American Revolution, that you have an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War, which was thrilling to you. Yes. And to go and to see him on a prisoner's list, you're like, oh, wow, these are German names. So he was captured by Hessian, Hessian mercenaries. Yes.

And then, oh, take a look at that. He was a Hessian mercenary. He was there to fight the colonists. Fighting against. Yes. My seventh time great grandfather fought literally eye to eye against George Washington, Alexander Hamilton. It's the Battle of Trenton where there was literally like the who's who was there. Yeah. When Washington crossed the Delaware border,

He crossed the Delaware to fight my grandpa. Yeah. And took him prisoner. My grandpa was probably drunk. Well, all right. That's right. They were- They all were drunk. It was part of the problem. They were drunk. They were drunk because it was Christmas Eve. That's right. These patriots made a sneaky Christmas Eve attack. That's right. And then to find out that, and then there was, because we needed to populate our country, we would give amnesty to anybody who would renounce-

their former country and swear an oath of allegiance to the United States. My grandfather did it and actually then was raising money for the local militias, which then by proxy made him a participant on the other side now of the American revolution. Yeah. No, it's extraordinary that like the forethought of our founding fathers who treated these people,

Hessian soldiers who weren't there on principle. They just had, there was nothing for them in their own country and they needed to make money, right?

Well, not only that, my grandpa was 17 when he arrived here in 1776 as a Hessian soldier. He was the third youngest, and so his oldest brother would have gotten the family farm. He would have gotten nothing. And when the Hessians came to the village and enlisted people, you went, right?

Like if you didn't go, like your family was going to have real problems. Oh, that's right. That's right. Because it's whoever is ruling that part, like Hess, right? Hess, Hess, yeah. In the middle of Germany. Yeah. Hesse. Then you go where they tell you to go. That Duke is in charge. Right. The Duke of Hess. Yeah, right. You didn't have a choice. That's right. But they were treated so well here and had the opportunity to own land.

Which it looks just like their native country. That's what was really insane is the part of Pennsylvania where my where my family founded looks exactly like the part of Germany where they were from. Like, I couldn't replicate it. It was unbelievable. That's such a cool thing. You did that. I love that. That was in your story that you had with your family was just unbelievably moving, too. Yeah, that was tough. I have to say that was not. That was tough.

But the experience of doing it was also a whole other experience, I have to say. Just, yeah, the people I met there who...

You know, I don't know. It was just really, it was. Now, did my friend Rashida Jones end up doing the show? Yeah, that was. She did. Because when I was on Parks and Rec, I had more people. By the way, you should know. I have more people coming up to me going, hey, should I do this show? Did you have fun doing? Who do you think you are? I'm like, yes, do it, do it, do it. Yeah. And I don't know that fun is the word. No, it's not fun. Every second. It depends on the story because it's usually-

you know, emotionally deep, you know, a little tough. Rashida's story was unbelievable. And her mother came for the second half because it was her mother's family that Rashida was looking into. And her mother joined her. Was it in Romania? Peggy Lipton. Yeah. Peggy Lipton. That might've been, I'm thinking Susan Day and the Partridge family.

Peggy Lipton and Josie and the Pussycats. Those were the three things that lit my fuse when I was seven years old. No, Peggy Lipton was it on the Mod Squad. No, there was. Yeah, that was it. Peggy Lipton. But no, that was great that they could do that together. And yeah, so that turned out to be a Holocaust story. That was that was brutal. I mean, brutal.

Yeah, we all think it's just... Someone else's family. I did. Anyway, it's like, well, concentration camps. My family wasn't in a concentration camp, so we missed, you know, we avoided that. And then, no, there were the death squads. There were all kinds of other things. Yeah. And that, you know, that...

It makes you appreciate your life. You know, it makes you appreciate their their sacrifice. Yeah. Well, my grandmother, you know, who to me was sort of a tricky person. But when I saw where she came from and I saw, you know, then she goes to New York and she's in like this tenement. And, oof, I mean, it was tough. I mean.

Yeah. It made me just understand not everyone is extraordinary, you know, and you have to allow people their stuff just because they're not extraordinary in overcoming things that people can't really overcome. You know, it's too much trauma. Yeah. Yeah. I, I, I, I talk sometimes a lot about that kind of stuff on the show because I'm a big believer in therapy and

And that we, you know, we have to put us like not a stop, but like it's up to us in our lifetimes to to make right the stuff that we've inherited from folks who didn't have the wherewithal or learning or or any of it. It's kind of going back to what you were saying about the schools today is like we've we don't do what we did, you know.

Two decades ago. Some of that just doesn't fly anymore. Or even a decade ago. Even a decade ago? A decade ago. Even five years ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I mean, I feel like schools have been really scrutinizing kids. Why?

Way too much. And, you know, oh, they're not paying attention. Let's give them a pill. You know, just. Oh, when I was in the first grade, they pulled me out of class and had my mom come for an emergency session because I couldn't color inside the lines. And that when asked, I said my favorite color was black. And they're like, he is mentally ill. And and my mom was like, I'm sorry, what?

Yeah. No, they were like, he'll never. I mean, he's got I couldn't color inside the lines, could not do it. Favorite color black. Never going to amount to anything. No, I mean, but see, but that is the influence of certain kinds of therapy. But, you know, there are to me, the issue is we don't know a lot about how our brains work.

We know more than we used to, but, you know, these sort of fad therapy things, making their way into schools is not always great, I don't think. You know, it's like they were like, ooh, black, and he won't color in the lines. He's like depressed or off or something's wrong. Like, no.

No, his brain's developing. He likes black right now. Check back in five years. It'll be okay. You know, I, I, I, it's funny. I remember the other thing we talk about it like is whatever shame you have in this life or anything. That's always something that needs to be rectified. I always think about that. One of the earliest times I remember feeling so ashamed was in the second grade.

They had what had to have been one of the earliest video cameras ever made. And I remember them, they just propped it in the corner and turned it on. And we're always doing our work. And I thought, and I can remember vivid like it was yesterday thinking, this is going to be the most boring thing anybody has ever watched. So I would get up.

And literally like make a cross, like an actual wood to go and sharpen my pencil and then come and sit down and write some more. And then I would think, God, this is fucking interminable. Who's ever going to? And then I get up.

And go to the chalkboard and sit to it. And at the end of the class, they were like, Rob Lowe, can you stay after class, please? We need to talk to you. I was like, yeah. And they're like, you're hyperactive. Oh, why? Because you wouldn't stay if you could stay seated. You are hyperactive. You cannot sit in your seat. And I did not. And I remember thinking vividly, I was doing that on purpose. I was doing it because it was boring. That thing, the camera, it's going to be off. What if you said, I'm your show? I am the show. I am the show.

This is the show. Me getting up, sharpening a pencil. Come on, man. There were no crosses. That was just dead. Someday people are going to pay me good money to do that. But that's what I, but how crazy, I was literally in the seventh grade, not in seventh grade, second grade in Dayton, Ohio. And I was thinking like a filmmaker, but didn't even know that I was. Fantastic. And got in so much trouble. That's fantastic. A lot of trouble. I mean, not fantastic. Sorry. But did your mom, was she worried or did she just go? Luckily they didn't.

To my knowledge, they didn't like write a letter home or anything because you can think of how that could actually go bad. All joking aside, it's like the next thing you know, I'm on Ritalin or whatever. Who knows? Right, right, right, right. But I also was aware enough to know that I was misunderstood, which is a whole other podcast. This project, literally, I'm going to start another one called Misunderstood because I have a lot, I think a lot of us who end up in this business are

have multiple stories like that where I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. You just don't understand being misunderstood. Yeah. Oh, completely. Always. I thought that was everybody's experience though, you know? And I think actors, you know, there's different categories of why they want to go into it. And I think the most common explanation people like to just like, oh, they just want attention. And, you know, there's a whole other thing, which is, no, they just like being other people.

Yes. They're just really interested in understanding other people. So they want to inhabit other people so they can understand. The other thing people mistakenly say is, oh, well, they must be really good liars because they're actors. Oh, yeah. No, I can't lie. Me neither. Because you're a good actor. Because only bad actors lie on screen. Interesting. Good actors tell the truth on screen. Oh, wow. Yeah.

Yeah, that's good. You are smart. I mean, I've known that. But yeah, I know if you think about it like people and I get it, you know, to the to the regular person who's just a fan of movies and TV, they would. Why should they ever give the amount of thought to acting that we do? But I can see where they would think that. But what as you know, what we do is somebody puts something on paper that has nothing to do with anything.

It's a lie. It's made up. Right. And our job is to make it truthful. Yeah. Although these days, a lot of them seem to be transcripts of actual events and things and parts of people's lives, you know? Yeah. What are you watching today? What's your thing? You have a, like a...

What's on your queue? Yeah, I know. I'm always asking people that. I've run out of things. I mean, yeah, we sailed through Queen's Gambit because that was just so good. So good. And The Crown. Yep. Oh, I just got a preview of Shonda Rhimes' Bridgerton. Mm-hmm. That's going to be on. I loved it. I'm looking forward to it. I haven't seen it yet. Oh, yeah.

When do we get the Friends reunion, the famous Friends reunion? Yeah, we're going to shoot that in the spring, early, early spring. And is it, do we, you know, obviously, is it, what is it? Well, it's not a reboot or it's not like a scripted thing. We're not portraying our characters. It's us getting together, you know, which, you know, just doesn't happen a lot and has never happened before.

in front of other people since 2004 when we stopped. So, yeah. So it's reminiscing and just catching up and talking and that's going to be great. Is there a moderator or not? There's no moderator. You guys hang. Is it you just having like nachos over at Jen's house? Yes. Like if I were directing it, I would be like, here's what it is. It's Aniston is making margaritas.

And nachos. Yeah. And hijinks ensue. That's sort of what I wanted it to be. Like just we're having dinner and then you intercut with other things and, you know, but but I yeah, I don't know. There's different facets to it, you know, and some like already shot packages of things. I don't know fully. Yeah.

To be honest, I really don't. But I pre-shot something for it already. So we're definitely doing it because I already shot a little something. I'm so interested in it. I mean, because the other thing is when you guys first announced it, it was pre-COVID and pre-reunions of absolutely everything that you could...

I've seen Urkel's reunion. I've seen, you know, what's happening now, I think, at the reunion. Right. I know I've been in Parks and Rec and West Wing. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, I'm just saying there's a really high bar now. I'm just saying. I know. You've got to. I know. I know.

I mean, well, we'll see what happens. You know what? You get what you get. You get what you get. It's the friends. It's the fucking Beatles. Listen, if the Beatles walked into the room, they could literally just walk into the room and I'd be thrilled. All right. So that and that's what our show is. We're just walking into rooms. I would I would. I'm not kidding. I would be like, oh, well, I mean, we're walking into a coffeehouse room. We're walking. I think some sets will be up that we've not been in.

I mean, the coffee house I've been in now and then, you know, but... I have a hot take on the coffee house. What's that? It's ugly. Okay. Um...

I don't like it. Well, that's a very popular opinion. Oh, good. It's not a hot take? No, it's not. I mean, it's not a popular opinion, I don't think. Oh, I see. I find it to look, first of all. I was lying, you see, and I didn't do it well. See, you couldn't do it well. To your point. You're a truth teller.

You are a truth teller. But then again, it's the 90s. Everything was like that. There's a lot of fabric. Yeah. A lot of fabric. Yeah, yeah. Well, look at the apartment with the frame on the door. Now that's like a little too cute. But then it was like, oh, look at that. Yeah. I still think, is it the purple? The walls are purple. The door was purple. I don't remember what the walls were. The purple thing is like, I have post-traumatic stress about the friend's purple. Yeah.

That's my take on it. That's what your post-traumatic stress is? Okay. Well, that and the fact that all the guys had better cars than I did. I'd be like, like I said, going to the gym, grinding my ass out. And, you know, there'd be, you know, Matt LeBlanc going, what do you think? Well, he's a car guy. Oh, yeah. Right? He's a big car guy. Courtney also knows cars. So your story of them searching your car is...

Did you ever have – because you guys made it in a time of television where it was the gold rush. There was money vomiting out of every sewer pipe in the world. Wow. That's not how it felt, you know. Did you ever have them gift you with elaborate gifts? No.

No, have us. No, they didn't. I mean, we would hear about people getting outrageous gifts. And yeah, one year there was an issue and it was actually like someone wrote about it, you know, and we didn't get anything.

I think. Because I think the studio got like, ugh. Like, this show got – they all got cars. Yes, cars. So should we give them cars? No, you should get planes. And one of our –

One of our executive producers was like, they have cars. They don't need cars. So then there was nothing. And, and that's a bad producer. He went from, you were about to get cars to you now, now got nothing. Well, I mean, we didn't, we didn't need cars, you know, and, and,

Yeah, I don't know. It was just because the truth is, you know, yeah, we didn't need anything. So make a donation somewhere, you know, and that's what we would do with the executive producers. It's like, look, we've all done well. So for Christmas, we'll make a donation, you know, somewhere that you like, you know. But then it was like, well, you know, I like gifts. Like, OK, so we'll get you a gift. Yeah. Yeah.

The stories of that era, I mean, I remember so vividly there was a show called Providence on NBC. That sounds familiar. At the same time, it was, she's a great actor, Melina Kanakouridis. Oh, yeah, right, yeah. And they got her a Range Rover. Yeah. Providence! Yeah.

Melina Kanakarides. What do you think you're going to get? Jen Aniston and Lisa Kudrow on Friends. Well, that was one person. There were six of us. Oh, that's true. I know. And I say it like, you know, money was tight. No, it wasn't because the show is making them so much. No, no, it was a gusher. It still is. On the same lot, same company, ER. Yeah. Was crushing and they gave every department head a million dollar check. What? Yeah, yeah.

They did? Yeah. Who's they? Who? The producers? I think John Wells did. Okay. What I'd heard is he... When they made that next big syndication deal that John gave everybody. And then... So my eyes are filled with stars with all of this. And it's the West Wing. And we've just...

I think at that time, done really well at the Emmys more than anybody ever done. And it was a thing. And you guys were killing it. And John Wells is one of our producers who just gave a million dollars to ER. And Melina Kanakarides has got a Range Rover. And Will and Grace all got Boxster Porsches. Right. That's right. Right. They got Porsches. And I remember John Spencer, God bless him, is my best friend on the West Wing.

They made an announcement that the studio was coming down to give us gifts based on – it was right after the Emmys. And John and I were like, is it a car? Yeah.

What kind of car is it going to be? Or is it a check? This is going to be the great. And we're all in the Roosevelt room set waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for the heads of AOL Time Warner. Because they had just merged and everybody, money was flying and the internet was, it was all great. And in comes the president of the studio. And he says, we're just so proud of what you guys have accomplished.

It's not only a hit TV show, but it says something about our country and it says something about this new company, AOL Time Warner. Right. And we couldn't be more proud to give you just a small token of our-

So you can each get like a latte or- Oh my God, you truly- Or a baseball cap, a sweatshirt. See, Kudrow, this is why- There's a list. You are not just a pretty face. Because you are a smart cookie and you know where the bodies are buried. Wait, so what was it? It's not your first rodeo, is it? No, but what was it? It was a single serving espresso maker. Oh!

Oh my God, it was. Yep. For each of you to have. Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, just for everyone to take a turn? Just for everybody. And in 10 hours, everyone will have been served an espresso if you like it, if you like espresso. And it was, my favorite part was it was under a sheet with a voila moment. Wow.

Oh, shit. But that was going to be in your craft service forevermore. Forever. Forever. That is for West Wing to use one at a time. Whatever that show accomplished, I know that it got us an espresso maker. That's great. From the studio. That's really great. And we'll be right back after this.

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And then before we go, I want to hear about Space Force. I'm obsessed with the actual Space Force. I didn't know it was such a thing. I didn't know it was a real thing when I shot it. Like, the idiot actually saw, like, the State of the Union where President Trump said something about Space Force, and I, like, texted Steve and Steve Carell and Greg Daniels. Wait! It's a real thing! They're like...

Not even responding. And then, yeah, right. Yes, it is. Did you see this week that they revealed the motto of the Space Force? No, what? Yeah. This week. Oh, Guardians. Wait, it's not. Yes. So I guess in the Navy, well, you'd be an aviator if you were in the Air Force. Right. You'd be a soldier if you were in the Army. Right.

If you're in the Space Force, you're a guardian. You're a guardian. Right. Isn't that from... Well, I immediately, I texted Chris Pratt. I was like, you're a guardian. You're a guardian. That's established. You are the guardian of the galaxy. Oh, guardians of the galaxy. But then also I thought, God damn, you know, the Hulu, it's really big, the show, the

That I can't watch. Handmaid's Tale. Oh, yeah. The bad people are the guardians. That's not good. Well, they're like the guards at the gate at Warner Brothers. They don't know. They are the guardians. That makes sure I'm not leaving with a...

with a lamp or anything. By the way, that's not true. I love the, every guards at the gate, they're always a Mr. Lowe, makes me feel like I'm in show business. It's the last vestige, by the way, of what it was like to be Clark Gable. Yeah. Truly. Right, right, right. No, they're really nice. They are nice. They were always nice. And I think then after, you know, that happened a couple of times and then I mentioned it on a talk show, then it kept happening just because I think they got a kick out of me.

He mentioned that it was really funny. And I did love because, you know, I don't know about you, but the first time like people know who you are and you're financially secure, you know, in that moment. Right. And there's a little bit of like, oh, what's the other shoe that's going to drop? I don't know if you have that, but I guess. And so when they would stop me, I'm like, I'll take it.

I'll take it. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. You just put me back on my spot. Thank you. That's great. Yeah. I, I, you, you talk about it as the other shoe to drop. I always, I'm always like, what is that light at the, down the train tracks? Oh, that's the oncoming train. That's, that's sort of. I don't know why that makes me laugh so hard. It's terrifying. Yes. When I, when I'm, when I don't have a head full of therapy, I,

I'll wake up in the morning and be like, yeah, that light looks like a lot like a train to me. And then when I'm in, like, while my head's on straight, it's like, no, no, that's actually a light on the set that you're working on, you lucky fucking bastard. Right. It's all okay. It's all going to be okay. Wait, and you can cut this or do whatever you want. I loved the grinder. What happened? What happened? What happened?

I loved it. You were hilarious. Fred, everyone, Fred Savage, fantastic. Every human in that show was great. I loved it. I don't know what happened. I am so glad because you have tremendous, and I'm not saying this because you just paid the show a great compliment. I trust your taste implicitly and that I made a grinder fan out of you means a lot to me. I, I,

Love that show. I loved it. It's my favorite. In fact, when it was canceled, I was like, I'm done with comedy. I'll never do. I don't blame you. I'm never going to have a better fit. I'm never going to have a better group of people. I'm never going to have a show that I'm more proud of or funnier. It was every moment of it was perfect for me. Yeah, it was so good. Folks, if you're out there and you haven't seen The Grinder, I don't even know. I think it's probably on...

Hulu would be my guess or iTunes, but God damn, I love that show so much. It's so funny. It's ridiculous and funny. It was so good. That's what made me go, yeah, yeah, I'm done. Like the networks, I can't do it because they won't use their eyes and ears. All they're looking at is a spreadsheet of

And I know that this business doesn't have time like they did back, you know, for Seinfeld and Cheers when, you know, Brandon Tartikoff would just wait for it to find its audience because he knew it was good. Right. I know they can't they can't do that anymore. Maybe is why they can't. Yep. Wait, but I'm out. I had the same I had the same reaction and.

But I will say this, though. I had to remember that when they sent me the script and it was so funny and so inside baseball in a great way and so eviscerating of network television that I thought I couldn't believe that they were going to make it. So I came from a place that I can't believe we got to do 22 of them on network television because you talk about biting the hand that feeds you. No, we nodded off.

That's their only way they can survive, though. They can't be too precious. I don't think that's why. No, that's not why. Well, that isn't why they can't cancel. They just didn't believe in it. It truly wasn't their taste. And I knew we had a problem there.

When they were so excited, I got the phone call from the higher ups and they were so excited that the grinder was going to share the night with John Stamos' grandfathered. Okay. And I was like, oh, we're fucked. Yeah, those were different times. Because that show is, it's just not the same audience. Our audience is the Parks and Rec audience. Right. Wasn't there a transition at the network? No.

Around then? No, they were the same group. Wow. Because I thought they were just starting to try something new. Like, I don't know. I just feel like, you know, and then they also canceled Last Man on Earth. Yes, that was the same. We had a that was a really great run. I mean, that was such a great show. You know what? You know what they do, though? You know what the thinking is? The thinking. And I'm sure you do know this.

is look, the grinder did not get great ratings. It did not. And neither did last minute. We did. They did not. And, but what it was, was the new normal. I'm the king of new normal. I'm always on these shows. They get the new rating.

If you're like, oh my God, it's gone down to a point. Oh, it's a disaster. It's down to a 0.7. And guess what? That's the rating now. And then they're dying for a 0.7. The next year they would die. When they canceled the grinder. Yeah. They never had another show.

Ever. That did that number. Right. I know. By the way, do you remember what Friends did? Just to blow my mind. Do you remember? No. What those ratings were like? No, like 23. A 23. Right, 23. They're a static with a one.

I know. A static. I know. Well, I know. No, I do know. I know that. I do. And by the way, our 23 was always like, well, I mean, yeah, it's not Cheers. It's not MASH. It's a 23. But, you know, that's how it is now. So don't worry. Don't worry. When do you go back to do more Space Force? Well, they're going to shoot in May. So I'll see if I'm needed.

Because I'm not like a regular. Right, right, right, right. You come in, you have the best job in the world. You just kind of come in when they want you or when you can do it. It's great. That's right. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. So that's May. So it'll be right before probably, you know, able to get a vaccine.

That's how I look at everything. And I just went to London to shoot something. And I was a wreck before going because I can't help but take like a few steps back and just go, wait, if five years from now, I just imagine we're saying, wait a minute, I'm sorry, you flew to London.

before vaccines were available. But that's when you went? Like the height of the pandemic, huh? You're like doubling down. You're like, I'm going to do it at its most dangerous. Right, but that's not me. I'm the one who's like, you're doing what? You're the biggest idiot ever. So I was now the biggest idiot ever. So it just made me a wreck. But I did it. It was okay. I'm back. I think danger is your brand, Kudrow. I think when I think of you, I think...

But I don't know. I'm Lisa Kudrow. Danger is my brand. I guess I am kind of very brave. But yeah, I bet it's not. That's not what I look for. Kudrow, one last question for you. Taft High School. Yeah. What about it? That's where I went.

Cheryl Burkoff. Yeah. No, that's my wife. She went to Taft. How is that? I we've spent time together, but she's younger than me, right? She is. No, I think she's two years older than you, but you would have been there. I would have the same time. I mean, you know, you weren't really allowed to mix with the upperclassmen. So you got to break out that yearbook and look for Cheryl Burkoff. My God. Yeah.

The Taft High School, give our wonderful listeners some of the alumni of Taft. There's Robin Wright. She did? Yeah. Well, I have it right here. And if I have it here, it has to be true. Listen to this. This is the sound of a prepared host. Okay. Papers. Papers. Papers have been printed out. Yeah. Robin Wright, Ice Cube, Eazy-E. Wow. Yeah.

And Cheryl Berkoff. Oh, my God. Future wife of Rob Lowe. Wow. Look at that. Dave Cause. Really? Yeah. He's the horn. The saxophone. Saxophone. Player, yeah. Dave Cause was one of the people I observed to play the saxophone on St. Elmo's Fire. You're kidding. Mm-hmm. Oh, my God. Well, I've known him since elementary school. Really? Yes. Really?

Did you know any of the Toto guys? What? No. Why would I? What do you mean? Because they were all they were all from that sort of Tarzana Taft High School. But they're older than I am. Did you know the Van Patten's?

No. What the hell? What were you in a oyster? No, I do know. I do know. Well, well, I, I mean, I'm younger, but I, um, right. Van Patten's were like the, the, the Kennedy's of the Valley. Yes. Well, yeah, no, I know that. And, but I grew up with, uh, John Levitt's.

That's my best friend. John was our first. I heard it. It was hilarious. Did you hear it? I did. I listened to it. He is hilarious. He's truly hilarious and truly. And I mean this with all love. And I would say to him out of his mind. Yeah, yeah.

Always has been. Always. Always hilarious. I mean, he hasn't changed. You know, he's the same. He's fantastic. No, he's like a brother. I mean, he'd call to talk to my brother and I'd be screaming at him because he would do a bit. And I just didn't want to, you know, I'm like six years younger. I was the youngest. So it's like, John, John.

Don't be quiet. It's like, hello? Hello. This is John. I'm like, God damn it, David! John's on the phone. Can you imagine him at, like, how old would he have been then? 13. No. 14. Oh, I don't even want to imagine it. My brother told the funniest story ever.

They all went to a dance and I think it was in junior high school or something. John had been sent to go to Harvard school, you know, Harvard Westlake. It was just Harvard member, all boys. So he went with them to this dance because they were in public school. He went with them and John was just sort of like sitting on the side and they and they went over and went, John.

It doesn't look like you're having fun. Are you having fun? And he went, it doesn't look like you're having a good time. And John went, nonsense. I'm having a wonderful time. I feel like dancing. And God, I started dancing. He's like 14. So he knows that guy. Hilarious. It was a bit hilarious.

Speaking of bits, I have to ask you this because I'm obsessed with Saturday Night Live. You auditioned for Saturday Night Live. Was that fun? Was it good? What was that like for you? It was just a show. And I don't know that it was a real audition. They came to the Groundlings and I think they were looking at Julia Sweeney. That's who they were focused on. But Lorraine Newman said, look at Kudrow. So I love Lorraine Newman anyway. Yes. But...

you know, forever just because of that. And, and,

And so but they were there for Julia Sweeney for real. And my stuff wasn't I don't think it was Saturday Night Live material. You know, it was barely grounding stuff. But I liked what I did. I remember I went with Lauren once to the groundlings and we were looking at this guy named Will Ferrell. Uh huh. This guy named. Yeah. I think I voted him into the groundlings. That I think that is pretty amazing. Voting him like, yeah, he's really good.

Yeah. That's the groundlings is an amazing, just what an amazing legacy to be a part of. Yeah, Levitz sent me there when I said, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to act now, done with college, take a break from biology and I'm going to pursue acting. He was like, great, go to the groundlings. That's where I learned the most. I got to tell you something, Kudrow. I mean this sincerely. If your journey is,

To where you got, if I had to pick it for anybody, this is what I would do. I'd be like biology.

Be a smarty pants. Then, then, you know, the creative comes up and you can't stop it. And then you go and you learn it. The ground links. You don't go to some naval gazing. That's what I was afraid of. Super serious acting school. You don't do that. You go, you go and you learn to listen. Yeah. And you learn to react and you learn to be honest and you learn to be funny. Yeah. Yeah.

Did you do one of those acting classes? Like they're like cults, you know? Oh, I'm aware. I did. I did one of them with he is no longer with us. He was great. Name Roy London. And he was. Yeah. And and Roy London was.

Right when Brad Pitt started happening, Pitt was working with Roy London and Geena Davis at her height, right in that sort of, I want to say early 1990s. And he also, Roy London had just worked with an actor. I think his name was Kurt Baltz. Great actor, great character actor. And he was in Reservoir Dogs and he played the guy who gets shot at the very beginning. Yeah, I never saw it. It's too violent and scary for me. It's so violent. I mean, I haven't seen most things.

He gets shot at the beginning of Reservoir Dogs, Roy London's student, shot dead, and is in almost every frame of the movie lying there as a dead body. Oh, right. Okay. And he was like, Roy was like, you need to, you're not dead. You are an actor. You're a living person.

How can you possibly act a dead body? How could you do that? You've never been dead. You don't know what it's like to be dead. You are alive. So it is incumbent upon you to be alive in this movie. So he played the dead body alive in the entire Reservoir Diaries. Does this sound like I'm on pot right now? Does it sound like this is like a...

Like, it's like a dope. What if you played it as if you were alive? But that's all really true. That was his ethos. I know, but I don't understand. Play like you're alive. So scratch an itch, take a deep breath, cough if you need to. If you fart, excuse yourself. Like, I don't understand how you, that's what, just be alive. I think it's just as simple as not playing, not quote unquote playing dead.

I'm dead now. What does that mean? Like if someone pounds a table, you go, oh, scared the shit out of me. You can't, that won't work in the park. I mean. No, because you're acting, you have to act like, so he's playing, he's, he's playing dead. That's what it is, is if you're playing dead, then you play dead. Uh-huh. Right. Well, okay. So the first instinct that you had as an actor. Yeah. You're not learning that at the Groundlings. No. No.

I love the stories where some like great actor, someone says, yeah, I mean, I'm just like, I've been working myself up. I've been trying to like clog up my ears and it's like, right. You know, it's pretend, right? That's what acting you're pretending something. Well, that's, that's the, I mean, it's been attributed to many people, but I, I think it's probably Lauren Dustin Hoffman and Olivier. Yeah. My dear boy, why don't you just try acting? But then on the other side of it, I've been on so many sets and,

Where either as a director or a producer, I'll finally go up to somebody and go, stop acting. Stop acting. Yeah. Right? Yeah. You say that to people? Yeah. I mean. How fun. I can't wait to work with you. Stop acting. Only as a measure of last resort. Right. Right. And inevitably, you see it with young actors. Their eyes, they just go, oh, my God, thank you. They go like.

Oh, because, you know, they want to do great, you know, and they they've been they've been working on the scene. Yeah. No, my favorite note. My two favorite notes are either a line reading or. Yeah, you could do better. Those are my two favorite notes. I like to have more fun. I like just have more fun with it. Yeah, that I'm I'm then I'm I don't know what to do.

Just have more fun with it. More fun. It's like, what do you mean fun? I don't know. I look like I'm having fun to you. I don't understand that. I'm very literal. I'm very literal. It's like fun. Well, what do you mean? Yeah. Another one is, okay, that was great. So good. Just great. Okay, let's just do one more. What? Yeah. Just to make sure we have it. Like, what do you mean? It's all digital. Why wouldn't you have it? Like, it's not like, you know, like.

A hair got in the anything. Yeah, I know. It's like, whenever there's that, when you hear the phrase, that was perfect. Let's just do one more. You know, you're in very bad hands. Right. Well, that's when I say, great. So I'll just do whatever I want. Since you have that and it's perfect. I'll just do. Well, that's, that's the fun thing we did on, on Parks and Recreation. We did, which obviously is not, you know, Harold Pinter, but we would do,

what was scripted multiple, multiple times. And then we would do a fun, what we call it the fun run. And we could literally do whatever we wanted. Anything and everything didn't have to even be the scene. I mean, usually it was because we're professionals. We're not total idiots, but we would do anything we wanted. And sometimes it made it into the show. That was the last. That's fun. That is. Oh, that is fun. Ask Greg. Listen, when you go back to Space Force,

You say to Greg Daniels, I'm only coming back if you allow me to do what you allowed all those other people to do on your other show, Parks and Recreation, and I want to do a fun run with Carell and everybody. No, but they did allow that. Oh, they did? Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I loved doing it. It was really fun. Yeah. People ask me about, do awards mean anything? Right. And look.

I would be, I am the first to, I got, there's Screen Actors Guild Award right above my head right now. So I'm like, look, I'm not one of those, oh, that means nothing. Look, I'd like, they're fun. They're great. They're fun. I mean, come on. Who doesn't want to win an award? That said, all you need to know is that Steve Carell never won an Emmy for The Office. That's all you need to know about awards. Wow. Who was winning? For seven straight seasons.

Seven years in a row, there was someone funnier than Steve Carell on television? Well, I don't know. Maybe. There wasn't. Well, no, but I mean, what else was there? Alec Baldwin? Well, in fairness, Alec Baldwin, who is a genius. Alec Baldwin is, his character on 30 Rock deserves to win every Emmy that ever was, and he did. But, you know, the other folks want, but Steve Carell, what?

It's like after the grinder, I was like, I'm done with comedy. I remember seeing Steve at the office was over and it was the last year and he was nominated and of course didn't win. And I hugged him and said, you will never have to come back here again. Well, I mean, by the way, the only good thing about winning is that you get to not be in your seat. Oh, yes. And you can do other things there because that's that.

That's hard. But but being nominated is a big deal, especially now. There's like thousands of people who could potentially be nominated. So, you know, to me, that's a very big deal. But you're right. It's nuts that Steve Carell ever won an Emmy because he's so funny. I mean, he's just inarguably one of the funniest. Well, that character is. Are you kidding? Michael Scott? Are you kidding me?

I know, I know, I know. I'm not sure I understand. So that's why I'm like, well, then who else was there? Well, I know Jim Parsons won one year. I know John Cryer won one year. And I think Alec won all the other years, I think. You know, the Emmys for a long time had this thing that was like a thank you to film actors who were doing television. Yeah, I think you can also watch any award show

And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to glean the sort of agenda of the body that's voting. You're like, oh. So in those years, the agenda was we thank film actors. I feel like there was. How many times did you win an Emmy? Never. Been nominated, never won. Wow. Never did. I know you did.

I won once. I think I was there for it. Yeah. Pretty sure. Yeah. It's fun. Did you have fun? Was it like? Well, that was the only year we all weren't there. You all weren't there? That was the only year I was the only one from friends. I was the only one from friends there. So it was a little lonely. That's lonely. But I was really happy.

Really happy. I mean, I just had my baby and I was like, well, I can't ask for, you know, I feel like I already won. Yeah. You know, there's so much.

There's an abundance of riches. I think you should take the Emmy to the set of Space Force and say, hey, Steve, you know what this is? Miami's broken, by the way. How do you? Oh, yeah. They're flimsy as fuck. The ball fell off. Yes. And so now the that winged person is kind of holding it. It's a really bad. It's a really bad design. I could get it fixed, I guess.

Where would you do that? I don't know. There's a lot of trophy stores, right, where they would do something like that. That's a good point. A trophy store. Don't people do metal work? Today's podcast of Literally, in which Lisa Kudrow and Rob Lowe discuss first world problems like getting their Emmys fixed. Yes. There's nothing. We're nothing if not relatable, you and I. Well. And I like that. I mean. I like that we're of the people.

Miami is broken, and I will get it fixed. I did once see Tatum O'Neill's Oscar. Oh, wow. In the salad days, and it had mold on it. Oh. And that was depressing. Look at that. Wow. Why? I wonder how on earth it got moldy. Green. Whatever the greens. Mold. It'd be mold, right? Green was- Fungus. Right, but growing on-

Well, okay. In the little, you know, in the legs and the buttocks. Oh, you really examined it. Okay. It was an Oscar. Hell yeah. I was like a 20 year old young actor. What goes on in that, in the butt of Oscar? Let's see. I mean, what's in that crack? Is there a crack? There is a crack. What's growing in that crack? That was your experience. That's what you were examining the Oscar. Like what's, oh, look, there's a butt and it's got a crack. I mean, it's like more defined than a Ken doll. My God.

What is the genitalia of this? Is that mold or is it just happy to see me? Devin's got his look going. Devin's got his, oh, that Rob Lowe thought bubble like my mother. This is what dinners were like with me as a kid, Devin. You've become my mother, sort of entertained, but also kind of humiliated and like projecting shame on me. You've become my mother and it's great. Or just going, all right, what do I cut?

Yeah, this is going out. This for sure is not going to be in the podcast. Oh, that whole history lesson with the Hessians and the blah, blah, blah. The Hessians, who cares about that? That's out. People only want to know about Phoebe shit on this show. Just get to the Phoebe shit. I know. Did he say Phoebe? Where's the clickbait? No, she didn't. Phoebe clickbait. What do we got going on here?

This has been so fun, Kudrow. I know. We could talk all day. Well, you have a hard out that you missed 20 minutes ago. I know. See, I was like, when somebody told me, I said, I will not. I went like Tom Cruise, Crazy Ballistic. I was like, I will not give a hard out to Lisa Kudrow. Do you know what I live with? A phone with podcasters and advertisers. There will not be a hard out.

or whatever that word is. Advertisers. That's pretty good, by the way. Advertisers. Advertisers. I'm upset. I'm having a stroke. A stroke. That's clickbait. Clickbait. Rob Lowe has a stroke.

All right. Lisa, God bless. So good to talk to you. You too. Let's find an excuse to do something again one of these days. Okay. In your producorial hat, be thinking, and I will be as well. Sounds fun. Love you. Love you too. Bye. Bye, Cheryl. That was so fun. God, I could have talked to her forever. I hope I didn't talk to her for too long. You guys weren't bored, right? Because I wasn't. I was just talking and yapping because she's just so damn delish.

She really is. Lisa Kudrow, delish. Anyway, thanks for listening. And by the way, y'all, don't forget to give us a review. Throw me a bone, would you? Over on wherever the hell you can review this damn thing. Because apparently it means something. This is what they tell me. I'm new to this. I know nothing. I'm just trying to put on a show. But thanks for listening. And I hope you love Ms. Kudrow as much as I did. You have been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe.

produced and engineered by me, Devin Tory Bryant. Executive produced by Rob Lowe for Lowe Profile. Adam Sachs and Jeff Ross at Team Coco. And Colin Anderson and Chris Bannon at Stitcher. The supervising producer is Aaron Blairt. Talent producer, Jennifer Sampras. Please rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts. And remember to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. ♪

This has been a Team Coco production in association with Stitcher.

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