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30 Things You Never Knew About the Making of 'Will & Grace'

So *that's* what Karen's voice actually sounds like.

By Ruby Buddemeyer

Nov 22, 2017

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve already heard the most cheerful news our nation has received this year: Will & Grace is back on air after an 11-year hiatus. And not only that, it's been greenlit for season 2. So, in honor of this epic revival season, we rounded up 50 under-the-radar facts you never knew about the show. Check them out, below, including a few spoilers for the season(s) to come.

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The show is inspired by producer Max Mutchnick’s real-life friendship.

Before coming out in college, Mutchnick dated Janet Eisenberg and the two remained close friends.

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It took a bottle of vodka to convince Debra Messing to play Grace.

Producers had their hearts set on casting Messing, who, at the time, was starring in Prey. “They poured me several shots, we spoke for several hours and they pitched me the show,” Messing told New York Daily News. “I’m a lightweight. I didn’t need much to be a little giddy." The next day, Messing accepted.

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Producers Max Mutchnick and David Kohan originally pitched a series that had a gay man and his straight, female roommate as supporting characters.

NBC decided they were more interested in a show about the supporting characters.

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Megan Mullally initially auditioned for the role of Grace.

Mullally was hesitant to audition for Karen—she felt the role was too familiar. “[Then] I looked at it again and thought I could put sort of a new twist on it, where it would be quirky and different. So I went back in and I got the part,” she told the A.V. Club.

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And before she signed on for 'Will & Grace,' Mullally was almost cast in 'The King of Queens.'

The actress is rumored to have almost played the role of Carrie.

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In 2014, you could find 'Will & Grace' props in the Smithsonian.

Will & Grace scripts, footage, and props were on display in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as part of an LGBTQ collection.

Megan Mullally’s voice isn’t *that* high.

The actress’s natural voice is much lower than Karen’s, which is evident in the pilot episode.

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Nic Offerman almost got the role of Grace’s long-term boyfriend, Nathan.

Offerman, Mullally’s then-boyfriend, now-husband, lost out to Woody Harrelson. He did make a cameo, though, as a plumber in season four’s Thanksgiving episode.

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NBC gifted the cast convertible Porsche Boxsters after a successful first season.

McCormack, Messing, Hayes, and Mullally received matching cars. “You can’t imagine how mind-fucked we were. It was awesome,” said Mullally.

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The show has an impressive history of celebrity cameos.

166 guest stars, to be exact.

Anyone remember Britney Spears' cameo?

That accent, tho.

Or the time Karen met J. Lo?

"Sign it!"

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Cher’s guest appearance was filmed extremely fast.

“They flew her in. Like, she was sort of dropped in on a crescent moon, she did the scene, and was, like, airlifted back out,” Mullally told Entertainment Weekly.

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And Cher took a liking to Hayes.

“She liked Sean. She invited him to go to her castle in Italy, and he was like ‘nah’,” Mullally told Jimmy Kimmel.

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Jack’s Cher doll is worth $60,000.

The prototype was made by Mattel.

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There were talks of a Karen spinoff.

But, after Friends’ spinoff Joey performed poorly, NBC scrapped the idea.

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NBC ended up giving Mullally her own talk show, instead.

The Megan Mullally Show aired from 2006-2007.

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The show has earned 51 awards.

Ranging from Emmys to S.A.G. Awards. Hayes, Mullally, McCormack, and Messing won Emmys for their work on the show.

Although the show is scripted, sometimes the actors improvise.

This includes Mullally’s hilarious credit card scene.

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Messing was pregnant during the show's sixth season.

In turn, Grace didn’t appear in five episodes.

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In 2005, Messing and McCormack were reportedly earning $400,000 per episode.

Hayes and Mullally were paid slightly less.

The show’s season eight premiere was filmed live.

“What happened to your eyebrow?”

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There’s a 2004 'Will & Grace' soundtrack.

It includes a curation of songs that were featured on the show, like hits from Jennifer Lopez and Cher.

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The 2017 reboot started as a joke.

Initially, Mutchnick only approached the cast about a 10-minute, election-themed skit.

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It took Mutchnick only 45 minutes to get a "yes" from all four cast members.

McCormack, Messing, Hayes, and Mullally were immediately in.

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From there, it quickly spiraled into a full-fleshed season.

And even after the first table read, the network signed on for a second season.

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Mullally says she’s been ready to pick up Karen for the past 11 years.

“I would still be doing it from 2006. It was a no-brainer. Everything made me want to come back,” she told the Hollywood Reporter.

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In the 2017 revival, Will, Grace, and Jack are single.

“It allows dating. He’s comfortable with himself as an older gay man,” McCormack said of his character.

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Messing had only one request for her character’s revival.

“The only thing that I asked for was that Grace be a feminist,” she explained.

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The new season will deal with modern politics, as well as technology.

“I”m old. My character’s old. We have to address what technology has done for people in middle age and how we use it and don’t know how to use it,” McCormack explained.

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