Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow are seen in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 4 as they discuss Sitcom struggles and why Phoebe was “A Lot of Work” on ‘Friends’

In the 1997 independent comedy “Clockwatchers,” Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow played temporary employees in a drab office. This is where they first met. While Kudrow was already a star because of her portrayal of the eccentric Phoebe Buffay on “Friends,” Posey was building a reputation as a rising independent film legend who would eventually crossover in films like “You’ve Got Mail” and “Scream 3.”. “”.

Kudrow played a washed-up actress turned reality star on “The Comeback,” and Posey played Jack’s adversary on “Will and Grace.” Both have since enjoyed cult TV fame, and they both contributed to projects this past season. While Kudrow gave a poignant and agonizing performance as Lydia Morgan, a grieving mother who thinks her late son speaks to her through flickering lights on Netflix’s real estate thriller “No Good Deed,” Posey dragged herself through the role of wealthy matriarch Victoria Ratliff on the HBO series “The White Lotus.”. “”.

Parker Posey: During the 1990s, we were both Nora Ephron ladies.

Yes, Lisa Kudrow said.

Posey: How did you handle Nora?

Kudrow: I wrote “Hanging Up,” a song she co-wrote with [her sister] Delia. The film was directed by Diane Keaton. Because Nora was here, we had delicious food every day. Subsequently, I worked on another film directed by Nora, which featured John Travolta. “Was in it?” “What?” “I was in a John Travolta film.

Posey: You do realize that he was an angel or something?

Kudrow: “Michael” was the film in question, and it was excellent. This one let me down. On one occasion, when I was working on “Friends,” Nora called and asked, “When are you finished with this show? Why do you keep doing it?” I replied, “Well, some good reasons.”. “”.

Posey: I recall that she once approached me and said, “Just be funny,” and that was the note.

Kudrow: That’s a nice note!

Posey: “The Comeback” is one of my all-time favorites, and I’m a huge fan of yours. How did it begin in your mind?

Kudrow: “Real Housewives” hadn’t begun yet. However, after watching “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor,” I concluded that civilization was coming to an end. Because I saw a couple on “Amazing Race” where the woman is eating extremely spicy food and throwing up on camera while her husband yells at her. I thought, “Oh, this is it,” as she started to cry and throw up. “.”.

“How can I top that?” asked Posey.

Kudrow: “It’s over. It was almost the end of “Friends” when I had the thought, “What if you don’t have to feel bad for a regular person — what if it’s an actress?”. “That would be really fun,” I thought, simply letting yourself get humiliated.

Posey: As an audience member, I sympathized with her and cheered her on, so it’s a really fascinating line to walk.

Kudrow: In my opinion, that was the only Christopher Guest film you produced.

Posey: Chris Guest would simply say, “This is not too far from the truth,” and turn to leave. The scene is then played. Those films were so freeing because they focused on the things you’re not really planning or thinking about. I felt so pampered: You just trust the other person and go in and lock them in.

Kudrow: You’ve appeared in a few sitcoms with multiple cameras, I know. There’s something so much more structured about that. How was it for you?

Posey: It requires you to make that step, much like tap dancing. It’s striking some notes, but it’s not precisely formulaic. People would laugh when I said things on “Will & Grace,” and I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t funny, in my opinion.

Kudrow: Did they come up with a joke?

Posey: Perhaps. Yes, I believe so.

Kudrow: Occasionally that occurs.

Posey: It was really athletic.

Kudrow: You’re always being hit with new things. As we went along, we all learned new things.

Posey: You think it was a sport? It was a lot of fun.

Kudrow: It got entertaining. The cast was having a good time, so it was enjoyable throughout. Being Phoebe was so different from who I was as a person; it was work; I had to mentally explain everything she said to make it seem genuine to her and like she meant it. It required a great deal of labor. “Oh my God, I’m not doing the work,” I recalled thinking during Seasons 2 or 3. LeBlanc responded, “What’s wrong with you? You’re her.”. It is not necessary for you to. “.”.

But I want to work, you say, Posey. “.”.

Kudrow: Wanting to be a good student was the worst thing. That was my biggest source of pain.

Posey: I also enjoy doing my homework. Mike White wrote the eight episodes of “The White Lotus,” and they really just fly. I’m not sure how he did it, but it was really well written when I read it.

I take it that we’ve been doing this for thirty years each?

Yes, Kudrow said.

Posey: Having this Southern woman in my middle years at this point in my career was such a blessing. In junior high, I devoured Tennessee Williams as I read it.

Kudrow: Did you have someone Victoria could turn to?

Posey: My father adored Faulkner. He read a lot of books. He adored all those Gothic stories and Flannery O’Connor. And my mom’s mother used to dress like a movie star. She would shop at Neiman Marcus, find items she liked, and then make them at home.

My favorite part of the season, in my opinion, was asking Victoria, “What if we didn’t have anything?” Her response was the most sincere I’ve ever seen, and it made me admire her. Show her no respect —.

I understand what you mean, Posey. I knew exactly how to say it, and when I read the line, it struck me the most out of the eight episodes. There’s a certain rhythm. Many people enjoy adding and improvising. On the other hand, I adore the sound it makes when things are tight.

Would you go inside the world of “White Lotus”?

Work with Mike White? Yes, Kudrow said. Mike White is someone I adore. I’ve spent time with him at a gathering.

Posey: He moves around.

Kudrow: People like him. And that year, “Brad’s Status” was my favorite film. Because it was so good, I had to send him an email to inform him. I don’t often do that.

Posey: You ought to be in Season 4, Lisa. It will take place if the TikTok campaign is large enough.

Kudrow: Because that’s the way it is. No, it doesn’t.

Posey: No. Because it’s impossible to predict what Mike White will write or where these stories will go.

Kudrow: I may not be his cup of tea, but that’s okay too. However, I try to stay away from places that are too dark because I get anxious about them. However, aside from the scenes in which your head is blown off, you weren’t really required to. But that’s a lie.

Posey: When I portrayed mothers, I felt a strong sense of empathy.

Yes, Kudrow said. It is a completely different realm.

Posey: I came to understand that mothers are influenced by both men and their families. Thus, I was able to enter the patriarchal system of women who are not being true to themselves. Her perspective on her life is skewed, and it has been made possible.

Kudrow: The culture of a family is distinct. Everybody grew up together.

Posey: Great writing broadens your perspective and doesn’t pass judgment, which is why it’s so wonderful.

This time, Kudrow said, it didn’t feel like it was passing judgment as much, though it obviously was because they were at a White Lotus.

Posey: Mike is also a performer. This man is truly fascinating. He appeared on Survivor. as well as twice “The Amazing Race.”.

Kudrow: Wow, on “Amazing Race” twice? enjoys punishing himself.

Posey: He subsequently chooses to spend a season in Thailand. Working so long away in a foreign location felt like an experiment. It was a great gift when you’re feeling uncomfortable, don’t you think?

Kudrow: “Clockwatchers” is what we worked on. “.”.

Posey: We met there. Karen Sprecher and Jill ….

Jill directed it, and they wrote it, Kudrow said. Jill would then approach you and whisper to you, “They have secrets.”. And it was all about not trusting each other, secrets, or trust.

Posey: She was really bashful, you know. Do you recall that on your first day of work, she said, “Cut!” rather than, “Action!”.

Kudrow: She was just amazing. However, I believed that everyone was more knowledgeable and skilled than I was. “Oh my God, she’s creating the same atmosphere,” I would think when she whispered. Because you ask yourself, “What is she saying?”.

There was a culture on the set of “Clockwatchers.”. Does Mike also engage in that behavior, consciously or unconsciously?

Posey: I believe all directors do that. The whole mystery is that you must be a puppet that is being shaped by the projections that are taking place all around you.

Kudrow: I always think that when you make decisions as an actor, a lot of different levels are going on that you’re not even aware of. Then you notice it. It’s like, “Oh, I didn’t even know I was doing that.”. “.”.

Posey: It can be quite slick. Some people, you’re just in it while you try to make sense of it. It took me some time to play denial when I asked Victoria if she knew that Tim was taking those pills. “Does she know?” I even asked Mike.

Kudrow: How could she be unaware?

Posey: She is aware of this. She certainly is aware. He and she have been wed for thirty years.

Did he say that, Kudrow?

No, Posey said. However, they allow you to be in that state. Denial—what people choose to share with their loved ones and what they are recognizing in their gut feelings—is something I truly adore.

You’re doing that in “No Good Deed.”. “”.

Kudrow: I don’t believe she intended to make fun of her marriage’s state. Her husband wasn’t a big talker about feelings, and she knew who he was. However, they have since experienced a true tragedy in which communication would have been beneficial. Her inability to provide grief counseling was something I was acutely aware of the entire time.

Posey: Not at all.

Kudrow: She was unable to discuss it with a therapist. She had to be by herself. It’s also very damaging.

A dark night of the soul, Posey.

I asked Liz Feldman, the show’s creator and writer, “When the lights flicker, is that real? Or are you saying it’s not real?” and she replied, “I do think that happens,” Kudrow said. I said, “Okay, then I’m in,” since I firmly believe that occurs.

Posey: Indeed, it occurs. In my home, it takes place.

Kudrow: I have witnessed it. I asked the crucial question, “Are you going to call bullshit on …?”.

Posey: In the mood?

And Lydia needs it, Kudrow said. And I was honestly going to reconsider, so that was my first question.

Posey: Glib is unnecessary.

We need magic, Kudrow said.

BAUIE+RAD produced the show; Francisco Vargas designed the production.