‘If I hear a song I like, I’m dancing’: Lisa Kudrow on Friends and finding time to meditate

Describe your  perfect hour… 
Taking a walk, listening to a good podcast. I like listening to physicists talk about consciousness, like Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown. She’s a neuroscientist and she’s really articulate and good at explaining things. There are some physicists who believe consciousness is not inside our brains but outside. They talk about it in relation to quantum physics. It’s a little abstract.

If you could live in any era, which one would it be, and why? 
This one. I’m here and now. Any time I see something from the past, I just think about how horrible it smelled.

What is your favourite time of day? 
Early in the morning: my first cup of coffee, with cream, sometimes a digestive biscuit. Some days my husband has made the coffee and he leaves me a nice note, like: “I hope you slept like a princess. Your coffee’s ready, push the button.” Maybe that’s why it’s my favourite.

Which period of your life do you daydream about the most? 
I keep trying to remember my childhood. A year ago I had a mastoidectomy. The mastoid bone is part of your skull behind your ear, and it can get infected. When I was five I had the same operation on my other ear. My father had a brother who died before my father was born, at about five years old, from mastoiditis. A year ago, my first thought was: “I’ve done this before. It’ll be fine.” But after it was over, I realised: oh no, they drilled into my skull and scraped infection out. It was a little overwhelming.

What was the last thing you stole? 
I generally don’t steal, ever. On the last night of Friends I didn’t steal Phoebe’s rings, but I talked to Wardrobe and they said, “Of course you should have them.” I didn’t ask Warner Brothers for permission. Maybe I’ll get in trouble soon.

What do you never have enough time for? 
Meals with friends. I can always have more time for that.

If you make it to your 100th birthday, what will be the reason? 
Probably meditating. I go through periods where I do it every day for 20 minutes or more. Throughout the day I try to take a minute or two just to breathe and quiet my mind. Whatever you need to do, it happens more easily if you’re relaxed. Some nervous tension is good, because it’s energy, but it needs to be balanced with clear calm, the absence of worry. Worry is the problem. I try to get rid of that whenever I can.

When was the last time you took public transport? 
Oh, I don’t know, must be at least 40 years ago. No, that’s not true. I’ve taken shuttles at airports.

When was the last time you danced? 
I do that by myself all the time if I hear a song I like.

When is the best time to leave a party? 
Before it’s over, for sure. You don’t want to be the last one there, unless you’re extremely close with the host or hostess. But the best time to leave? On a high. You had a great conversation. All right, let’s go.

The Comeback is streaming now on HBO Max