Debra Messing’s Breasts: Comedy Gold?

Are flat-chested ladies less funny? Yesterday during “Look Who’s Laughing,� Tribeca Film Festival’s panel on women and comedy, Debra Messing claimed that NBC execs tried to increase her cup size on the set of Will & Grace. “When we shot the pilot, I was handed chicken cutlets in the wardrobe,� she said. “They’re like silicone boobs for women who have mastectomies. And I wore them. After the show was picked up, I said, ‘I don’t want to wear these. I actually like the idea that she’s completely flat-chested. I think there’s comedy in that.’ We shot three episodes, and then I was called to my executive producer’s office, who sat me down and said, ‘We got a call from the president of NBC, and he said, “What happened to her boobs?�’ They were not happy. The show [was about] gay men, and I had to be the woman. They said, ‘You have to wear them.’ And I said, ‘I won’t.’ I left it in their hands.� The network eventually dropped the issue. — Bennett Marcus