Friends star Lisa Kudrow says she felt like a 'mountain of a woman' next to Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston - as she admits she forced herself to get so thin it made her 'sick all the time'

  • The 55-year-old actress discussed the body image issues she faced while filming the hit TV show on Marc Maron's WTF podcast on Monday, May 20 
  • Lisa, who played the role of Phoebe Buffay on the sitcom, said there was a time when she was 'too thin', which caused her to be 'sick all the time' 
  • The Los Angeles native admitted working alongside Jennifer Aniston, 50, and Courteney Cox, 54, made her feel self-conscious of her body
  • She said: 'You see yourself on TV and it's that, "Oh, my God, I'm just a mountain of a girl. I'm already bigger than Courteney and Jennifer"
  • 'I just felt like this mountain of a woman next to them,' the actress added 
  • Friends is an American sitcom that ran for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004. The show followed the adventures of a group of six friends living in New York City 

Friends star Lisa Kudrow has revealed that she struggled with body image issues while filming the iconic TV series.

The 55-year-old Los Angeles-born actress, who played the role of Phoebe Buffay on the sitcom, opened up about struggles she faced while the show was being filmed when she spoke to Marc Maron on his WTF podcast on Monday, May 20.   

Lisa confessed to the comedian that at times she felt like 'mountain' compared to her female co-stars Rachel Aniston and Courteney Cox. 

Opening up: Lisa Kudrow (center) has revealed that she felt like self-conscious about her body beside her Friends co-stars Courteney Cox (L) and Jennifer Aniston (R)

Opening up: Lisa Kudrow (center) has revealed that she felt like self-conscious about her body beside her Friends co-stars Courteney Cox (L) and Jennifer Aniston (R) 

Negative: Lisa (center) opened up about struggles she faced on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, admitting she felt 'like this mountain of a woman next to' Jennifer (L) and Courteney (R)
Negative: Lisa (center) opened up about struggles she faced on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, admitting she felt 'like this mountain of a woman next to' Jennifer and Courteney (L)

Negative: Lisa opened up about struggles she faced on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, admitting she felt 'like this mountain of a woman next to' Jennifer and Courteney 

Although the star thoroughly enjoyed filming the hit series, and even stated that she and the cast 'still get along', Lisa revealed how filming the show affected her confidence. 

She told the comedian she would often compare herself to her female co-stars Jennifer Aniston, 50, who played Rachel Green, and Courteney Cox, 54, who played the part of Monica Geller, both of whom sported more preppy styles than Lisa's character, who was the more daring dresser of the group, often donning quirky and extravagant outfits. 

Honest: The 55-year-old actress (pictured recently), who played the role of Phoebe Buffay on the sitcom, said there was a time when she was 'too thin', which caused her to be 'sick all the time'

Honest: The 55-year-old actress (pictured recently), who played the role of Phoebe Buffay on the sitcom, said there was a time when she was 'too thin', which caused her to be 'sick all the time'

While discussing the topic of body image, the actress said: 'Unfortunately for a woman, if you're underweight, you look good. And that's all I ever got.

'And when I was too thin I was sick all the time. A cold, sinus infection, some kind of flu. I was always sick,' she added. 

When asked by Marc if she was 'skinny on purpose', she responded saying: 'Yeah, for sure.'

She added that working alongside Jennifer and Courteney often made her feel self-conscious about her own body.  

'You see yourself on TV and it's that, "Oh, my God, I'm just a mountain of a girl." I'm already bigger than Courteney and Jennifer - bigger, like my bones feel bigger,' she explained.

'I just felt like this mountain of a woman next to them,' she added.  

The revelation comes just days after the star admitted she doesn't watch old episodes of Friends. 

Tough: Opening up about the darker side of being a Hollywood actress, Lisa (pictured as Phoebe on Friends) said: 'Unfortunately for a woman, if you're underweight, you look good'
Sad: 'I don't watch it if it's on. I might not like myself so I'd rather not risk that,' Lisa said, speaking to Entertainment Weekly

Tough: Opening up about the darker side of being a Hollywood actress, Lisa (pictured as Phoebe on Friends) said: 'Unfortunately for a woman, if you're underweight, you look good'

Hard: Lisa's body image confessions come just days after the actress (pictured on Friends) revealed she doesn't re-watch episodes of Friends when they're on TV

Hard: Lisa's body image confessions come just days after the actress (pictured on Friends) revealed she doesn't re-watch episodes of Friends when they're on TV 

Lisa spoke to Entertainment Tonight at a special screening for her latest comedy, Booksmart, on Monday, May 13.   

She admitted she 'didn't know' the last time she had watched an episode of Friends, before explaining that she doesn't enjoy re-watching the episodes.

'I don't watch it if it's on. I might not like myself so I'd rather not risk that,' she said.

Despite the fact that she doesn't watch episodes of the show, Lisa said she has some very fond memories from filming Friends. 

'We were like little puppy dogs, just climbing all over each other and playing and playing games,' Lisa said, reminiscing about herself and her co-stars when they first began filming the show.  

The American sitcom ran for ten years, beginning in 1994 and concluding in 2004.

The show had a total of ten seasons, each of which had approximately 20 episodes that followed the funny adventures a group of friends who were living together in New York City.

Back in March, a number of behind the scenes secrets were revealed in an article published in The Guardian - which also reported that the show is now the most-streamed show on the internet since it was uploaded to Netflix in 2018. 

Nostalgic! Courteney Cox, who played the part of Monica, recently paid tribute to her co-stars when she posted a photo (above) of the crew on their way to Las Vegas before filming began

Nostalgic! Courteney Cox, who played the part of Monica, recently paid tribute to her co-stars when she posted a photo (above) of the crew on their way to Las Vegas before filming began 

It was revealed in the piece that the cast were sent to Las Vegas together by the show's director, Jimmy Burrows, before they began filming.

The purpose of the trip was to help the cast bond with one other before they began filming the series.

Fifty-four-year-old actress Courteney Cox, who played the part of Monica, recently paid tribute to her co-stars.   

The actress shared a photo on Instagram of herself and the rest of the cast - Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer,  Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc - which showed them sitting on a private jet on their way to Vegas.

She captioned the photo: 'The one where the six of us went to Vegas and no one knew we were F.R.I.E.N.D.S yet #tbt #beforeitaired #lovetheseguys.'

Lisa commented on the photo shortly after it was posted, saying: 'Look at that! Thanks again Jimmy Burrows. Love you Courteney.' 

Reese Witherspoon also commented on the photo, saying: 'This is TOO good!' while  

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Lisa Kudrow reveals she felt like a 'MOUNTAIN of a woman' beside Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox

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