Debra Messing’s award-winning role in will and grace began with the actress being asked to fake larger breasts, according to the star.
Debra Messing wasn’t about to change anything about her role as Will & Grace
At the “The Magic of Will & Grace” panel at the Paley Center for Media this week (via People Magazine), Brass recalled of her time on the show. Before the show, Messing revealed: then President NBC’s Warren Littlefield reportedly wanted the star to have “big boobs” while playing the character of Grace Adler.
“The first fitting was chicken cutlets to make me taller,” Messing said. “I just wasn’t a fan of the whole idea.”
Pressed on the issue, Messing said the President had to come and tell her to her face.
“I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t need that,” said Messing. “And they say, ‘Well, it’s the president of the network (saying that).’ And I said, ‘If he wants it, he has to come and tell me to my face.’”
Of course, in the end, Brass didn’t have to fake anything; Her role in Will & Grace was loved by millions. The series ran for eight seasons on NBC and has been acclaimed since its release for supporting and improving public opinion of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2014, the Smithsonian Institution added an LGBTQ+ history collection to its museum, which also included items from Will & Grace.
Messing won a Primetime Emmy in 2003 for her role as Grace Adler on the series. She has also been nominated six times for the award and six times for a Golden Globe Award.