For years, many of Hollywood’s top stars have been cast, dismissed, and replaced by coworkers in some of the most popular television shows and films.
From Lisa Kudrow to Ryan Gosling, here are some of the unexpected reasons why celebrities were fired from significant roles.
Lisa Kudrow, widely known for her role as Phoebe Buffay on Friends, stated during an appearance on Sirius XM’s “The Howard Stern Show” that she was originally considered for the role of Roz Doyle on Frasier. However, the actress was “fired” from the role before the pilot episode.
FRIENDS’ ALUM LISA KUDROW SAYS SHE WAS FIRED FROM ‘FRASIER’ BEFORE LANDING ICONIC ROLE: IT ‘WASN’T WORKING’.
“I wasn’t right for the part [or] for the chemistry of the group. So, that wasn’t working, but I did think, ‘Oh, I am not this guy’s cup of tea,'” she said of director James Burrows and his decision to swap her for Peri Gilpin, according to People magazine.
The sitcom ran for 11 seasons on NBC, from 1993 to 2004.
“It was devastating to get fired,” Kudrow said during an appearance on the “Smartless” podcast last week. “It just wasn’t working, I don’t know. Jimmy was saying, like, ‘This isn’t working.’”
No harm done, though, because Kudrow went on to land her role of a lifetime that same year on another James Burrows hit, “Friends.”
