Jane Leeves, best known for her role as Daphne Moon on the NBC sitcom Frasier, has revealed that Lisa Kudrow was originally cast as Roz Doyle but was later fired due to her perceived vulnerability.
Leeves shared the anecdote during an appearance on This Morning while promoting her new book, Daphne And Me. She explained that it became apparent during the pilot shoot that Kudrow was not the right fit for Roz, a character who needed to be assertive and capable of pushing back against Frasier Crane. "There's such a vulnerability to her and the character Roz needed to be a woman who could stand up and say 'no, do this, do that' and Frasier to push back a bit," Leeves stated. "He'd look like the meanest man in earth shouting at Lisa!"
The role of Roz eventually went to Peri Gilpin. Leeves added that the pilot's director was instrumental in casting her in Frasier and also helped Kudrow land her role on Friends.
Leeves also recounted her own near-miss with the role of Daphne. Initially, Kelsey Grammer, who played Frasier Crane, was hesitant to cast a British actress, fearing it would draw parallels to the 1970s sitcom Nanny And The Professor. However, NBC recommended Leeves, and after a reluctant read-through with Grammer, she was offered the part.
Leeves described her time on Frasier as a period of constant laughter, calling it "one of those great times where we laughed all the time." The show, a spin-off of Cheers, followed psychiatrist Frasier Crane as he returned to Seattle to work as a radio psychiatrist and reconnect with his father and brother.
She also noted Grammer's unique rehearsal process, where he would often rely on his script until the last moment, a practice that Leeves eventually grew accustomed to, seeing it become part of his on-screen character as he appeared to search for lines in the air.