16 Facts You Most Likely Did Not Know About the Show Friends

Having been around for over 25 years, you might think there'south nothing left to learn nigh Friends.

By now, we've heard "surprising facts" like Courteney Cox start auditioning for the part of Rachel, and the show originally being titled 6 Of Ane and Friends Like The states countless times.

However, there'due south nonetheless some lesser-known stories and anecdotes about the iconic show that even the nigh die hard fans probably don't know.

In commemoration of the primary cast's very special TV reunion, we've delved into the Friends vaults to uncover some of the more obscure facts about everyone's favourite sitcom...

1. Phoebe nigh had a very different ending

Phoebe may have married musician Mike when Friends concluded only things could have worked out very differently.

Co-creator David Crane said there was "definitely a possibility" that Phoebe could take ended upwards with onetime partner David (played by Hank Azaria) instead of Mike (Paul Rudd).

"They're both amazing actors. I mean, both Paul and Hank are fantastic, and fantastic with her. We sort of went back and along," he told Radio Times.

"I don't even call back all the pieces that led to where nosotros landed. But yeah, it could have gone the other mode. Phoebe would have been swell with either 1."

2. Lisa Kudrow's son thought Jennifer was his mum after set visits

Lisa said her son Julien would often mistake her co-star for his mother after growing fastened to her behind the scenes of the hit sitcom.

During an appearance on Conan O'Brien's US conversation show, Lisa revealed: "He got a little confused. I know that he really was obsessed with Jen.

"He'd fly into her lap. Well, she'due south a love issues, and that made sense. And I was always glad for anyone that Julien felt love for and felt from. Only and then at home, she'd be on Boob tube, and he'd go, 'Mommy!'"

3. Julia Roberts had an unusual request for Matthew Perry before signing up to a guest function

The Hollywood star made a guest appearance every bit a dear involvement for Chandler, in the 1996 Super Bowl episodes.

Matthew originally approached her personally for the part of Susie – an erstwhile schoolhouse friend of his character'southward – merely she really made him graft before signing up.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter , Friends' executive producer Kevin Vivid revealed: "Practise you know the story of how we got her? Matthew asked her to be on the show. She wrote back to him, 'Write me a newspaper on breakthrough physics and I'll do information technology'.

"My agreement is that Matthew went away and wrote a paper and faxed it to her the next day."

4. Friends writers played a role in getting Matthew and Julia together

The pair enjoyed a short romance afterward her Friends appearance, and staff author Alexa Junge said they were "all on Squad Matthew trying to make information technology happen" for him.

"They may have met before the episode, only she was interested in him from distant because he's so charming," Alexa said. "There was a lot of flirting over faxing. She was giving him these questionnaires similar, 'Why should I get out with you?' And everyone in the writers' room helped him explain to her why."

Jeff Astrof, who wrote half the episode, recalled Julia continuing on the sidelines finding Matthew's character hilarious.

"I'm similar, 'I wrote every one of those lines!'" Jeff joked. "I don't know if she fell in love with Matthew on the spot but they presently started dating. I felt like Cyrano [de Bergerac]. Like, 'Chandler is going to date Julia Roberts and I'm going to go home to my horrible girlfriend.' That'southward my retentivity of that episode."

5. Louise Redknapp turned down the office of Emily

The former Eternal singer claims she turned down the role of Ross Geller's second wife Emily so she could appear on Elevation Of The Pops .

"I didn't accept a lot of fourth dimension and a lot of people were investing coin into the album," she said at a music outcome at the Clapham Grand in 2020.

"To be on Top Of The Pops with that single meant a lot to me. Dorsum in the twenty-four hour period Pinnacle Of The Pops was huge."

Emily featured in the 4th and fifth seasons of Friends and ended upwardly beingness played past Common cold Feet star Helen Baxendale .

half dozen. The main cast had a "no hook upwardly" rule

With the cast as close every bit they were, it would have been understandable if any of them had become more Friends – only as some of their characters did.

However, the gang had a strict rule to finish any such situation happening.

In an interview with Admission prior to the reunion, Matthew Perry said: "At that place was a rule that we had – it was actually important to the half-dozen of usa that we kept a friendship, that nosotros were friends.

"If nosotros were hooking upwards, or at that place was any strangeness going on, that could take messed with things," he said, claiming that director Jim Burrows first introduced the rule.

He connected: "So we kept a friendship, and we did become really good friends. And we are actually skilful friends to this day. And we kept that going, and I think that was very important."

That said, life did nearly imitate fine art for David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston.

During the reunion, they admitted to "burdensome hard" on each other after beginning meeting.

"The first season I had a major crush on Jen," David revealed. "And I think we both, at some betoken, were crushing hard on each other simply it was like two ships passing considering one of us was always in a human relationship and nosotros never crossed that boundary. Nosotros respected that."

Jennifer agreed and confirmed their outset osculation came on screen when Ross and Rachel embraced in Central Perk during season two.

She said: "So we just channelled all of our admiration and dearest for each other into Ross and Rachel."

7. There were fears Rachel's "Information technology is a big deal" put-down would non make it into the show

In the fourth serial' opening episode, Rachel is furious when she discovers Ross has non read her note properly, thus declining to accept accountability in his infamous "we were on a interruption" saga.

Equally she kicks him out of her bed and and so out of her and Monica'south apartment, she yells: "Information technology's non that common, information technology doesn't happen to every guy and it is a large deal!"

Executive producer Greg Malins revealed he wasn't sure if the risqué joke would brand it past the other writers, explaining: "It was the only time I'd ever written down my [joke] before I pitched. I remember thinking, 'If I don't pitch this exactly right, it's not gonna make it.'"

eight. Reese Witherspoon turned down a second guest advent as Rachel's sister

Prior to her rise to fame in the 2001 film Legally Blonde, Reese appeared in a two-part episode of the hit sitcom, playing Rachel'due south sister, Jill.

While her and Jennifer Aniston have since been reunited on The Forenoon Show, they would have shared the screen again a lot sooner had Reese not turned down the chance to reprise her Friends role.

During a joint interview with the Associated Press, Jennifer said that Reese "blacked out with fear" of the live audience during her original stint, to which Reese said: "Did you know they asked me dorsum? They asked me back and I said I couldn't do it… I was as well scared!"

"What a shame!" Jennifer replied. "You would have started to love it!"

A future storyline iii years after Reese's advent saw the introduction of Rachel'south other sis, Amy, who was played by Christina Applegate.

ix. Brad Pitt virtually turned the testify downwards due to the alive audience

Brad Pitt famously fabricated an appearance alongside his and then wife Jennifer in the controversial series viii episode, The One With The Rumour.

His appearance was much anticipated by Friends fans at the fourth dimension, particularly when it emerged that his character was no fan of Rachel Green.

However, the invitee role almost never came to be, according to co-creator David Crane.

"I call up [there was] a little fleck [of hesitation]," he told HollywoodLife at the AT&T 5G Friends Fan Experience. "Just considering he'd never washed Boob tube in forepart of an audience, and information technology's a very specific skill set. I think information technology'due south probably a little intimidating if you haven't washed it before."

10. Freddie Prinze Jr wasn't the commencement pick to play male person nanny Sandy

Back in 2002, Freddie had the distinction of guest starring in the 200th episode of the sitcom, which saw him playing the nanny of Ross and Rachel's girl Emma (much to the annoyance of Ross).

All the same, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Freddie admitted the role wasn't actually written with him in mind, as ii-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks was offered the part showtime.

"I wasn't fifty-fifty supposed to exist [Sandy], that was originally offered to Tom Hanks but he wasn't gonna brand information technology back from his film on time," he recalled.

Post-obit this he was offered the function at the very last minute, adding: "My agent called me and said, 'Do you lot want to exist on Friends?' And I said, 'Yep, I'll practise an episode of Friends. That'll be great.' He said, 'Aye, it shoots tomorrow' and I was similar, 'What?' He said, 'Yep, tomorrow so I'll ship you the script'."

11. The famous Friends fountain had already featured elsewhere prior to the evidence'due south debut

A year before the Friends were splashing nearly in the fountain to record the opening titles, the water feature appeared in the Bette Midler classic Hocus Pocus.

It is an installation in a Warner Brothers studio backlot in Burbank, California, where Friends filmed for all 10 seasons, and the contempo reunion special was shot.

Fans often mistake Cherry Colina fountain in New York's Central Park every bit the setting for the opening sequence.

Only while Friends was indeed set in the Big Apple, the testify was all filmed nearly 3000 miles away in Los Angeles, as were its opening titles.

12. The bandage didn't exactly enjoy filming those opening titles

Courteney Cox revealed that the bandage were in the fountain for "hours and hours" filming the now iconic sequence, and it doesn't audio similar they enjoyed the experience a huge amount.

During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she said: "Nosotros were in that fountain for a long time, and I don't know who, somebody idea that would but be really fun and permit me tell y'all when it happens, it's non fun to be dancing in a fountain for hours and hours.

"I remember Matthew Perry saying at one betoken, and we didn't know each other that well at that point, just I recall — and this is so Matthew — but he was like, 'Can't remember a time that I wasn't in this fountain'.

"Literally, we were just like, 'Oh, my God. How much longer are we gonna pretend to dear dancing in the water?' It was fun, but not really."

13. They didn't really beloved the theme vocal all that much either

There isn't a much more than iconic Television theme than The Rembrandts' I'll Be There For Y'all, but the bandage were non all that smashing on information technology.

Jennifer said during an advent on The One in 2016: "No one was actually a big fan of that theme song.

"I don't mean to say that. We felt information technology was a petty, I don't know. Dancing in a fountain felt sort of odd, just we did it."

14. Hocus Pocus isn't the only film Friends has a connection with

Call up the season x episode where Monica and Chandler go to view the firm they afterwards move in to?

Well, what you might non have noticed is that the view out of the windows shows what can be seen from the Mcallister Firm in the beloved 1990 Christmas picture show Home Lone.

22 Vision released a video documenting the connection, suggesting merely bosses reused stock footage from Home Alone for the view from Monica and Chandler'southward new firm.

15. Paul Rudd had a rather shaky outset twenty-four hour period on set

While Paul had worked with Jennifer Aniston on The Object Of My Affection prior to joining the bandage of Friends equally Mike, he had a rather awkward accident on set involving his co-star and a Segway.

In an interview on The Graham Norton Show , Paul admitted: "I was on the set for my get-go episode and Jennifer [Aniston] was on a Segway because she had cleaved her toe, and anybody was marvelling at it.

"Matt LeBlanc asked to have a go and immediately knew how to practise it. I then asked to effort it too. I spun round and rolled it right over Jennifer's foot!"

He continued: "The producers' look of panic was if to say, 'Is it too tardily to fire him? Has his grapheme been established notwithstanding?' I felt awful. Such an inauspicious start."

xvi. Lisa Kudrow struggled getting the grapheme of Phoebe in the first three series

The thespian had difficulty relating to Phoebe in the evidence's early years, explaining she had to "work hard" at nailing the graphic symbol.

Appearing in an episode of comedian Kevin Nealon's YouTube serial Hiking With Kevin , Lisa said: "I had played dumb girls [before Friends], sure. Merely it wasn't really me.

"I experience like 'shit, I tricked [the producers]'. At the audition, I was the only i who could cope with the audition procedure and that'south how I got it, I retrieve. Then I had to piece of work hard at existence Phoebe, you know."

She went on to see that by her 3rd year playing the character, she was "struggling so much".

"Matt LeBlanc was similar, 'What's going on with you?' And I said, 'I can't, I don't think I take it. I mean, I don't know what I'm doing.' And he went, 'Yous're her, relax, you got it.

"'You've been doing this fucking character for three years. You're working too hard. That's your problem. Y'all don't need to work this hard. Relax.' And he was right."

17. Lisa too originally had optics on the part of Rachel

Lisa said she initially identified with the grapheme who would go on to be played past Jennifer Aniston much more than the eccentric massage therapist she went on to bring to life.

During an appearance on The Tardily Testify With Stephen Colbert, Lisa said: "When I first read the script, and I was going to be auditioning for Phoebe, I saw [the pages for] Rachel, and I just went, '...that could be hilarious, I tin identify with that more.'

"Only they said, 'No, no. Phoebe.'"

Lisa yet clearly has an affinity with Rachel, withal, as she besides revealed that she recently took an online quiz that suggested she was most like the grapheme in real life.

She said: "I thought I was answering questions that would bring me to Phoebe – you know, 'Favourite colour? Yellowish!' And it said Rachel!"

eighteen. The Italian player who played Paolo advert-libed all his lines

Cosimo Fusco revealed how he fabricated upwards what he said in his native language during filming for the kickoff flavor.

Paolo briefly dated Rachel until he fabricated a pass at Phoebe during a massage.

He said the show's producers asked him to improvise his lines, telling The Today Show: "I was a piddling chip skeptical because my English language then wasn't as good equally it is now, let's face it, but I was told not to speak whatsoever English: 'Just say whatever you desire in Italian.'"

19. Kathleen Turner didn't warm to the main cast on fix

The veteran star admitted she did non feel "welcomed" past the core vi actors when she played Chandler'south begetter Charles Bing in season 7 in the atomic number 82-up to Chandler's marriage to Monica.

Kathleen told Vulture : "I remember I was wearing this hard sequinned gown — and my high heels were admittedly killing me. I found it odd that none of the actors thought to offering me a seat.

"Finally it was ane of the older crew members that said, 'Get Miss Turner a chair'."

She connected: "The 'Friends' actors were such a clique - simply I don't think my experience with them was unique.

"I remember it was simply that they were such a tight little group that nobody from the outside mattered."

xx. The Thanksgiving meat trifle scene was but equally gross to picture show, merely in a different fashion

Everyone is familiar with the season six scene in which Joey devours Rachel'due south bizarre Thanksgiving meat trifle.

And while the trifle the actors ate was actually merely whipped cream and bananas, filming the scene was nearly equally icky as what was supposed to be in it.

Matt LeBlanc revealed that when it came to chowing downwards on the meaty treat, he inadvertently ended up eating David Schwimmer's spittle equally well.

"There was too much on his plate," he recalled during an appearance on The Graham Norton Testify. "So he starts to eat it all and he can't cease it and he starts laughing, and then nosotros cutting. Every bit we're cutting, he kind of spits it back on his plate. I'thou sitting right adjacent to him, and I'm looking the other manner. I didn't run across him spit it dorsum on his plate.

"I scrape some on my plate, and I get, 'Here, let'south go again.' And nosotros become again. And I'm eating it and we finished the take. No one says anything to me."

Matt added that he only found out the truth years after when watching a blooper reel.

21. Fisher Stevens didn't brand a great impression during his guest stint

The actor played a psychiatrist called Roger, who was a love interest of Phoebe's in flavor one's The One With The Boobies.

Fisher admitted he was "kind of an asshole" during filming as he was unhappy to larn the script had changed after already learning his lines.

Appearing on PeopleTV's Couch Surfing , Fisher said: "At that moment in my career, I had never done a sitcom before," he said. "I had never heard of Friends because it was just the beginning of the show and I didn't lookout TV at the fourth dimension much."

Of the script changes, he continued: "That'southward what sitcoms did. And I didn't know that. I was kind of an asshole, I have to admit. 'What exercise you hateful? And so I have to relearn lines that you've written that are worse than what you'd originally written?' Yeah, I was a dick."

Fisher said he had "rarely seen" whatever of the Friends cast since, just said: "I'm certain if you asked them almost me, they would go, 'What a New York snob.'"

22. Matthew Perry was helping his actor friends audience for the role of Chandler earlier he tried out himself

Prior to trying out for Friends, Matthew Perry was actually giving other actors tips on how to nail their auditions every bit Chandler.

At the time, he was working on a "a terrible Television show about luggage handlers in the yr 2197", merely after information technology didn't go to a full series, he ended upward auditioning himself.

During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, he recalled: "I was off the market place, so my friends were all auditioning for this show and there was this character named Chandler who was very similar to me. Then I would help them with their auditions. And so I finally went, 'let me just do this for you and imitate what I'm doing.'

"Some of them got very far and almost got the task. Then finally someone saw the baggage handler show and decided it wasn't going to get picked up and that led to me existence on Friends."

Jon Favreau and Jon Cryer are among the actors who are known to take tried out for the part of Chandler, with Jon later going on to guest star as Monica's boyfriend Pete in flavour three.

23. Kathy Griffin and Jayne Lynch tried out for the part of Phoebe

In a 2012 interview with HuffPost , US comedian Kathy Griffin revealed that she and Glee star Jayne Lynch both auditioned for the role of Phoebe.

Mentioning the fact in passing, Kathy said: "I honey me some Jane Lynch. I've known Jane since we were both auditioning – I call back we were auditioning for Phoebe on Friends like all my other girlfriends did."

Ellen DeGeneres also turned down an offer to play Phoebe.

24. While Hank Azaria went for the part of Joey

Hank ended upward with a recurring guest role in Friends every bit Phoebe's love interest David the scientist, but before the show launched, he auditioned twice for the role of Joey.

In a Reddit Q&A in 2013, he said: " I desperately wanted to be Joey on Friends and even auditioned twice for it after they had already rejected me once."

25. The live audience would be removed to moving picture the stop of flavor cliffhangers

Throughout its ten-year run, Friends was filmed in forepart of a alive audience at its Los Angeles studios – wait for, that is, the end of series cliffhangers, like in serial four when Ross said Rachel's name during his wedding to Emily.

"Nosotros couldn't have an audition for that," Jennifer said . "We ever remove the audience for the cliffhangers considering, obvious reasons, you don't want to spoil it."

"Friends"

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Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/friends-facts-you-didnt-know_uk_60ae63bae4b0d45b753155ab