The cast of NBC’s smart sitcom “Frasier,” which starred Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane, nearly looked completely different.
In a lengthy, but informative, oral history of the show by Vanity Fair, producers and castmates revealed that Lisa Kudrow and Rosie Perez were nearly cast as producer Roz Doyle and live-in nurse Daphne Moon respectively.
Casting director Jeff Greenberg revealed that he brought in a troop of actresses in hopes of finding the right woman for the part of Doyle.
“I brought in wonderful actresses of every size, shape, and age: Allison Janney, Patricia Clarkson, Hope Davis, Janeane Garofalo, Salma Hayek,” Greenberg said. “The last two left standing were Lisa Kudrow and Peri Gilpin.”
As Gilpin said, it was her and Kudrow who underwent five rounds of auditions together. “We became friends because we were in the same boat, young actresses trying to get a job,” she explained.
Unfortunately, producers went with Kudrow and the decision devastated Gilpin. But as she quickly learned, things would shift in her favor.
Director Jimmy Burrows said of the role’s acting challenges, “Lisa’s brilliant, but Roz needed to be someone who could stand toe-to-toe with Frasier.”
Then Gilpin received a phone call at dinner and it was the casting director asking her to come on the show.
“I immediately asked about Lisa,” she said. “He told me that was his next call. Lisa called me later and said, ‘I want you to know this is your job. I don’t want you to feel bad about it. I want you to enjoy it.’ She’s amazing.”
The producers also revealed that Perez was considered for the role eventually nabbed by British actress Jane Leeves.
Although Leeves was loved by then-NBC president Warren Littlefield, not everyone was convinced – especially Grammar.
“I was nervous about a British-accented housekeeper turning us into a dreadful ‘Nanny and the Professor,’” he recalled. “So, I asked to read with her.”
The two go behind closed doors alone to read out loud the lines. Moments later Grammer emerged giving his approval.
In all, the show, which earned 108 Emmy nominations and ran for 11 seasons, ended in 2004.
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