Lisa Kudrow Opens Up About Her Body Insecurity on the Friends Set

Within the pop-culture zeitgeist, there are few personas more cherished for their sunny disposition than Friend's Phoebe Buffay. And in real life, actress Lisa Kudrow has always possessed an ebullient optimism and sense of humor not unlike that of her famous character.

However, the 55-year-old actress and comedian has no qualms about keeping it real and taking on more difficult topics. On this week's episode of the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, Kudrow pulled back the curtains on the body image issues she experienced on the set of Friends, when she constantly compared herself to co-stars Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston. "You see yourself on TV, and it's that, 'Oh my god, I'm just a mountain of a girl'," she said of the thoughts that would run through her mind at the time. "And I'm already bigger than Courteney and Jennifer. [I was] taller, bigger. My bones feel bigger, I just felt like this mountain of a woman next to them."

Further delving into the pressures of being under the public magnifying glass, Kudrow admitted that during the show's run, she regularly lost weight “on purpose.” And, in retrospect, she’s disappointed that her slimming down—no matter the catalyst—was always met with compliments. “Unfortunately for a woman, if you’re underweight, you look good,” she explained, underlining that praising weight loss is often fraught. Despite being admired for the way she looked, Kudrow said it took a toll on her. “When I was too thin I was sick all the time, a cold, sinus infection, I was always sick.”

Over time, Kudrow says she's developed a healthier relationship with her body and is embracing aging with a positive outlook. “I just go, ‘Alright, so what? You’re older, that’s a good thing, why is that a bad thing?”

Originally Appeared on Vogue