Debra Messing has called playing Grace
Adler on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace a “gift.”
The comedy, which ran for eight
seasons, is television's most successful series with lead gay
characters. The sitcom received 83 Emmy Award nominations and earned
16 during its entire run.
In an interview with MORE
magazine, Messing, 44, said she rejected the role more than once.
“I didn't want to be, for lack of a
better word, a fag hag,” Messing said. “And I didn't want to be
just the pretty, straight girl in the corner while the guys did all
the funny stuff.”
Messing changed her mind after
discussed the role over drinks with creators David Kohan and Max
Mutchnick.
“So I took the leap and said, 'Let's
do it.' And it ended up the greatest thing to be a part of, a gift,”
she said.
In 2003, Messing won the Emmy Award for
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Will &
Grace.