Kelsey Grammer Explains Why Lisa Kudrow Was Fired From ‘Frasier’
Putting an end to streaming television’s glaring lack of sherry consumption and farcical misunderstandings, the reboot of Frasier returns for its second season this week. Fans should be pleased that Peri Gilpin is returning as Roz Doyle, following her brief appearance in last year’s finale. Hopefully, Frasier will spend all 10 episodes of Season Two apologizing to Roz for being such a dick in the ‘90s.
In order to promote the show, Gilpin and Money Plane star Kelsey Grammer recently sat for an interview with The Daily Beast. And it wasn’t long before Lisa Kudrow’s name came up, owing to the fact that the Friends actress was originally cast as Roz.
Earlier this summer, Kudrow opened up about the time she was fired and replaced with Gilpin, which is known in the industry as getting “Stoltz-ed.” Kudrow realizes now that the show simply made a “casting mistake” by hiring her, but at the time, she found the situation “devastating.”
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To his credit, Grammer took some responsibility for the snafu, pointing out that the fault wasn’t with Kudrow necessarily, but more with the Frasier team’s inability to properly develop the Roz character at that point. “We just couldn’t find how to help Lisa make this role work. It didn’t connect,” Grammer explained. “And that was partially our fault and really no fault of hers. We were a little bit at sea about what that character was supposed to be.”
Gilpin, the runner-up for the part, was ultimately hired because producers reasoned that she would be able to imbue Roz with “some depth and some gravitas” that wasn’t on the page.
Gilpin also revealed that she only auditioned for the part in the first place because Grammer encouraged her to after they met on the set of Cheers (Gilpin played a reporter in the fourth to last episode of the show). “Kelsey and I got to know each other during that time. And he said at one point, ‘You know, I’m going to do a show. You should audition for it.’”
Which was nice for Gilpin, but absolutely terrible for the continuity of the Frasier-verse.
Gilpin also recalled that she took Kudrow out to lunch after initially losing the part, so clearly there were no hard feelings between the two. “It was very normal not to get something,” the actress admitted.
“And of course, Lisa was fantastic in that other show,” Grammer added — “that show” being one of the most successful sitcoms in the history of television. He also noted that Friends was “able to write to her particular set of skills. I mean, she’s a little bit quirky and unpredictable.” Frasier, on the other hand, “needed somebody on a little more solid ground. Frasier needed a guide, rather than someone that was as crazy as he was.”
Although, whether or not Phoebe Buffay was as “crazy” as Dr. Frasier Crane is certainly debatable.
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