Lisa Kudrow Explains Why Actors Should Push for Big Salaries

— -- In 1996, the cast of "Friends" joined together to demand $100,000 per episode each. By their last season, they were earning $1 million per episode.

According to Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe in the series, they were justified in asking for it.

"The rationale is that the show is actually generating an enormous amount of money, and that ... it's affordable to whichever entity has to pay it," she told the Huffington Post. "For any actor, you should try to get as much as you can because you never know when you're time's up."

Kudrow, 51, whose show "The Comeback" is returning to HBO Nov. 9, explained that actors are "basically freelance" even if they're contract. And, in many cases, their participation in the show is a key component in the series' success.

"I don't think it's out of line to ask that, you know, 'Make me a partner in this endeavor in some way,'" she said.