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(FRANCES) |
Paget currently stars on the CBS show "Love & Money," and has appeared in the films "Let's Talk About Sex" and "Skippy." She also had a recurring role for a year on the TV series "Friends" as Kathy, the medical assistant/actress who came between Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry). "The other women auditioning were stunning, like supermodel gorgeous," she told TV Guide. "I came in and said, 'I must be your runty alternate.' Perry said the moment I called myself a runt, I got the job!"
Paget grew up at a New England boarding school where her parents were teachers, then spent a year at Parsons School of Design in New York but "failed out." She was in a band that had a few club hits in New York, then worked with friends on independent films. She performed improvisational skits in Central Park before moving to San Francisco.
She was bartending when a talent agent convinced her to try her own local talk show.
Paget and Christine pose with the author's niece, Sasha.
(Fortunately the author stayed out of this shot.)
She achieved cult status when she hosted the late-night talk show on CBS TV in San Francisco from 1994 to '95, called The Paget Show. "We were the little show that could," she said. "We had no money -- five of us did the whole show -- but it was great. We did 'My Boyfriend Is a Louse' shows, and we did serious shows as well. I'm sure clips will come back and haunt me."
On the set of Desperate, Paget showed an amazing ability to transform herself into a chain-smoking, fast-talking, unsuccessful actress from her real self -- a chain-smoking, fast-talking, successful actress. Her acting won raves from everyone involved with the project. With any luck, young girls across the country will soon use the lovable character of Frances as their promiscuous, alcoholic role model.
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