TV - Movies
Lisa Kudrow Has
A Bonkers Theory
About Why
Phoebe Has A
Twin On Friends
By HEATHER E. SCHWARTZ
In “Friends,” Lisa Kudrow is the only actor to play a second role in addition to that of Phoebe — she also acted as Phoebe’s twin sister, Ursula. Interestingly, Kudrow already had a “recurring role” of Ursula the waitress on an NBC show called “Mad About You” before she was cast as Phoebe in “Friends.”
After “Friends” was picked up by NBC, Kudrow was suddenly set to appear on two NBC shows scheduled to air one after the other. Kudrow’s opinion is that to avoid confusion about “the exact same human being” appearing as two different characters, “Friends” decided to make Phoebe Ursula’s identical twin.
Ursula also has Phoebe’s eccentric charm, but with a darker twist, as evidenced from her occasional appearances — she uses Phoebe’s name to film porn, frequently surprises Phoebe with family secrets she ought to have shared years ago, and often seems to forget that she even has a sister.
While Ursula comes across as “the bad twin,” Kudrow actually thinks that Ursula is “really nice” because “she didn’t pay attention to anything.” What’s more is that Kudrow thinks “Friends” writers might have intentionally made Ursula mean because “maybe they didn’t like that they had to include her.”