Lisa Kudrow urges future Warner Bros. owner to preserve iconic 'Friends' studio lot
Washington, February 6
Lisa Kudrow has issued a heartfelt appeal to the future owner of Warner Bros. Discovery, urging them to preserve the iconic Burbank studio lot where the sitcom 'Friends' was filmed for a decade.
In an recent interview, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, the actor, who essayed the character of Phoebe Buffay on the globally popular sitcom, asked that the historic Warner Bros. lot remain unchanged amid an ongoing ownership battle.
Kudrow said the studio holds significance not just for her personally, but for the wider film and television industry.
"It's hard for me to tell whether Warner Bros. is just special to me, or if it's special to the whole city or industry, and I think it is," she said.
Reflecting on frequent changes in studio ownership, Kudrow added that she hopes the lot will be "preserved as is," noting that it continues to function perfectly for modern productions.
She made a specific plea to protect "Jack Warner's roses," a long-standing feature of the studio grounds, as per The Hollywood Reporter
Warner Bros. has been the filming home of several landmark projects, including 'Casablanca', 'Blade Runner', 'The Matrix', 'Inception' and 'The Goonies'.
For Kudrow, however, its significance is deeply personal. She worked on the lot for at least 10 years while filming 'Friends', which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
The sitcom, which also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, was primarily shot on Stage 24.
Following the series finale, the stage was officially nicknamed 'The Friends Stage' in recognition of the show's cultural impact.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While I understand the sentiment, studios are businesses. If the new owners have a better economic use for that land, they might change it. Nostalgia doesn't always pay the bills. Still, it would be a shame to lose a piece of TV history.
Friends is iconic globally, and for good reason. The chemistry, the writing—it all came from that place. Preserving it is about preserving a cultural landmark. It's like how we feel about old film studios in Mumbai. They have a soul.
As a fan from overseas, I visited the Warner Bros. tour and seeing the Friends fountain was a highlight. That lot isn't just a workplace; it's a pilgrimage site for fans worldwide. Kudrow is right to speak up.
Honestly, it's a bit of a rich person's problem, no? So much change happening in the world, and we're worried about a studio lot's roses. That said, if it's still functional for new shows, why not keep it? Practical hai.
This makes me emotional! Friends was my comfort show through engineering exams. The fact that she specifically mentioned "Jack Warner's roses" shows how attached the cast is. It's more than bricks and mortar. #SaveTheLot
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