Lisa Kudrow is reflecting on Friends’ shortcomings.
via: Revolt
As previously reported by REVOLT, Marta Kauffman, one of the co-creators of the hit TV show “Friends,” recently spoke out about the sitcom’s lack of diversity. The popular series chronicled the life of six white cast members living in New York. “I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago,” Kauffman said in June. She added that moving forward, she would be conscious of hiring “young writers of color.”
Lisa Kudrow starred as Phoebe Buffay in the cult classic that debuted on NBC in 1994. In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, Kudrow reflected on the lack of diversity seen on “Friends” and discussed what a revival would require. “If there would ever be anything like [a revival], if [creators] Marta [Kauffman] and David [Crane] ever signed off on anything like that, it would have to be a different cast at that age. I think it would need to be more current — and more diverse representation is not a bad idea, you know?” she said.
Kudrow explained that although the show could have certainly cast people from different backgrounds, at the time, the writers wrote about what they knew. “It was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college. And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know,” Kudrow shared. The actress continued, “They have no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of color.”
“I think at that time, the big problem that I was seeing was, ‘Where’s the apprenticeship?’” she added. Kauffman didn’t just talk about feeling regret for her past decisions, she also pledged money to her alma mater. The co-creator donated $4 million to Brandeis University for their African and African American studies department.
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