Her under-stated oddball, Phoebe, was often the best part of TV’s Friends, and Lisa Kudrow is proving that there is cinematic life after years on a mega-successful sitcom. Kudrow can now add the wacky and kid-friendly canine comedy Hotel For Dogs to her resume. Kudrow, co-starring with Entourage’s Kevin Dillon co-star as wanna-be rock star foster parents, add some grown-up fun to the story of Andi (Emma Roberts), and her younger brother Bruce (Jake T. Austin), two kids who turn an abandoned hotel into a home for stray dogs.
Why did you decide to do a studio film like Hotel For Dogs?
“Well, I had seen Nancy Drew, and I loved Emma Roberts. That’s Number One. Don Cheadle is in it, which could tie for Number One. And, also really up there for a reason to do it was that my son Julian could finally see me in a movie.”
Which one of your movies would be least appropriate for Julian, your 11-year-old son, to see?
“Wonderland, without a doubt. Yeah, he’s not seeing that one.”
How would you describe your character’s style in Hotel For Dogs?
“Well, you know that sad rough look from the ’80s. It’s ’80s-ish. It was that. It was what this character’s memory of what rock and roll was. You know?”
You play one half of an aspiring pop music duo with Kevin Dillon. Growing up, did you ever dream of becoming a rock star?
“No, never! Never! No! Boy, I answered that so definitely. [Laughs] No, I don’t think so.”
What about a folk singer?
“Yeah, definitely a folk singer, but that’s different. All I knew, when I was a kid, was that it was Janis Joplin dead, Jimi Hendrix dead. So, I thought, ‘Rock stars, they all die. So, you don’t want to make that a career goal.’ (laughs) On the other hand, comedians like Lucille Ball had series after series. She didn’t die. Lucy was always making people laugh and making them happy.”
On Friends, Phoebe always sang out of tune. How is your singing in real life? Are you out of tune?
“No, no, no, my husband loves the way I sing, and I sing without thinking about it. I get up in the morning and I’m singing. Sometimes I really am, I get up in the morning with a song in my head and I’m just singing. No, I don’t sing out of tune.”
Are you a big dog owner?
“I’m a small dog owner. I have a toy poodle.”
Do you travel around with your poodle or take it to events with you?
“No, I don’t. No. Dressing your dogs up or pushing them around in strollers is just unnecessary. It’s just like traveling everywhere with you dog, it is completely unnecessary.”
Of course, I have to ask the obligatory Friends movie question. Have they approached you about doing a big screen version of the series?
“I’ve never heard anything except from the press.”
Would you like to do a Friends movie if it all came together?
“Yeah, I’d do it. If everyone else was doing it, I wouldn’t be the one replaced or the one hold out.”
I recently asked Jennifer Aniston the same question.
“Really? How did Jennifer respond?”
Jennifer basically said the same thing you did. She’d love to do it, but she hasn’t heard a word anything about from the studio, just in online or in the press.
“Okay. One time, I saw (David) Schwimmer answer, and I loved how he did it. When someone asked him about a Friends movie, he was like, ‘Yeah, wouldn’t that be great!?’ But, no, I haven’t heard anything, but I like the sentiment of ‘Wouldn’t that be great!?’”
There is a whole new generation of fans watching Friends now. Do you ever get sick of it?
“No! I have to remember it in the first place. I don’t remember things that I’ve done. I did it and now it’s gone.”
BD + DVD Bonus Features: Commentary by director Thor Freudenthal, Ewan “Jack” Leslie, Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin, “A Home For Everyone: The Making Of Hotel For Dogs,” “That’s The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Seen!” and “K-9 Casting” Featurettes, 8 Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer #2 and Photo Galleries.
ANNE: “Well, the script told me to go for it, and I did. As all good comedy is painful and horrifying to actually do, I felt very protected by my character’s drunkenness. I really wanted to be a good dancer, but I’m not a good dancer. Watching the movie is hard for me. I’m trying really hard, and I just look silly and drunk. My favorite part of the scene was cut out, at the end, where I run up to the officer and did a handstand at his feet and wrapped my hands around his legs. He grabbed my feet and my butt and I said, ‘Book me.’ Doing it take after take felt so good.” [Laughs]
