Craig Robinson shares how Lisa Kudrow was really there for him during one of his early gigs on the Friends set. Robinson made a name for himself playing Darryl Philbin in the iconic sitcom The Office. He further cemented his place on television with the recurring fan-favorite character Pontiac Bandit on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But his appeal is not limited to acting. He is also a talented stand-up comic, gifted with the art of music, and when he blends the two in a live performance, he makes the audience go crazy.

The early days, however, were hard, as it is for most, and from those days, he picks out a memorable experience featuring our own Phoebe Buffay, aka Lisa Kudrow.

In a sitting with Entertainment Weekly, Craig Robinson recalled an unforgettable incident from his early career when he had only a few projects to his name. After his brief stint in LAX, The Bernie Mac Show, and FX comedy Lucky, he got an opportunity in 2004 to act opposite Lisa Kudrow for only one episode in the tenth season of the immensely famous sitcom Friends.

“Back then, it was pretty much one scene, there really wasn't much else. We rehearsed it twice, and then they did a pitch, and Lisa was cool enough to speak up for me," Robinson said.

In order to refine the actors' back and forth to perfection during the filming of his sequence with Kudrow on the episode The One with Princess Consuela, Robinson revealed, the cast and creative team started spitballing ideas. She heard the line he had said, but no one else did. She graciously brought the line to everyone's attention, which later featured in the episode.

In the 14th episode of the last season, Robinson makes a fleeting appearance. After getting married to Paul Rudd's Mike Hannigan, Kudrow's Phoebe Buffay goes to have her name changed. She gets off on the wrong foot with Robinson's clerk after she makes a comment highlighting how depressing his job is.

22 Years After 'Friends' Ended, Lisa Kudrow and Cast Still Make $20 Million a Year

Apart from this incident from the Friends set, he also shared his experience auditioning for the part.

Craig Robinson says, recalling the time he went to audition for the role, he thought he was too early for the audition as he saw 14 white guys all dressed like limo drivers, which really threw him off. Anyhow, he got the part at the end, and it was the sweetest moment for him at the time when he was out there in Hollywood trying to make a name for himself.

Robinson did make it big the next year, when his big break came as warehouse foreman Darryl Philbin on The Office. When the sitcom won Best Ensemble at the 2007 and 2008 awards, he received two Screen Actors Guild Actor Awards for the role. But after all these years of success, he still cherishes what Lisa Kudrow, who has recently shared her take on Ross and Rachel’s break debate, did for him in his early days as an actor.

What do you think of Lisa Kudrow’s supportive gesture to fellow actor Craig Robinson? Share your thoughts.