Lisa Kudrow was the winner of the 2017 Emmy Award in the category Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She won her first Primetime Emmy at age 52, having been nominated five times previously with no wins. In her speech, she talks about how much acting has helped her and thanks everyone who has supported her along the way. Lisa Kudrow Emotional Emmy Acceptance Speech
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On running into David Schwimmer
In one of those small world moments, Lisa said she ran into Ross at an airport last year. He gave me a big hug, which he’s not known for. I went to tell my husband and he goes, ‘What do you mean David Schwimmer hugged you?’ He thought it was Ross! They look exactly alike. It freaked me out, so I changed topics real fast.
On winning an Emmy
The only thing I’m proud of is that I stayed on a television show for 10 years. You don’t see that very often anymore. That was hard to do, and it took a lot out of me. But if you’re an actor and you get to work with people like these, it’s not just luck, it really isn’t. It takes something else too: It takes heart and soul and courage to do what we do, because you put yourself out there every day in front of millions of people.
On meeting a very famous actor (which we now know was Brad Pitt)
He seemed a little bit different from all of my other friends’ boyfriends. At a certain point, it dawned on me that he might be a famous actor. … I was sitting at work, doing some construction work in a hallway for my boss who was building his house. [Brad] came by, and I just sort of said, Oh! Hey! You know? And he walked out.
On meeting her idol – Oprah Winfrey
Phoebe could hardly believe it when her idol, Oprah Winfrey, arrived on set to film an episode of The Secret Millionaire. After stumbling over her words, Phoebe managed to thank Oprah for all she’d done for women in business. She even gave Oprah a hug! Lisa brought out some tears when she admitted that accepting the award was one of her biggest professional moments – so far!
Her thanks to all those who influenced her life
For those of you who don’t know, last year my father passed away, and he was my best friend in life. And in his honor, I would like to thank everybody that has ever been in my life. Because everybody has left a piece of their heart with me.
Lisa Kudrow Is the Real Life Phoebe Buffay
At first glance, Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay in Friends) and Phoebe Buffay may seem like completely different people. One lives in New York City, and the other primarily lives in Central Perk, not to mention that one makes millions of dollars a year as an actor, while the other seems to live off her grandmother’s inheritance (and her numerous pets). However, these two women are actually very similar, and here are five reasons why you should consider Lisa Kudrow the real life Phoebe Buffay.
Scared of everything
It’s not a coincidence that a lot of people also do not believe in extraterrestrial life or UFOs. Even though millions of people have been witness to UFO sightings and many thousands have had close encounters of some kind, most people will write it off as mass hallucination, just like they do with Lisa Kudrow’s character on Friends. In fact, according to an Roper poll back in 1996, less than half of all Americans believe that UFOs exist at all.
Artistic
Both Pheobe and Lisa were classically trained at music. As a child, Lisa received classical piano training and took lessons for 15 years. Growing up she wanted to be a concert pianist. And like her character, Phoebe Buffay, in real life she had an interest in acting from a young age.
Charismatic
The real-life Phoebe Buffay, Lisa Kudrow, is just as charismatic in real life as she is on screen. Her cheerful optimism and bubbly personality have made her a fan favorite. She even used to date another one of our faves, Vincent Schiavelli! No wonder he played such a charming character on Friends; he couldn’t resist a lady with such warmth. The two dated for six years and eventually broke up in 2001.
