The 9 Biggest Takeaways & Surprises from HBO Max's ‘Friends: The Reunion’ Special

Image via HBO Max

Aniston and Schwimmer confirmed that there was a mutual attraction between them during the filming of the first season of the show. The actor said it was like two passing ships since they were both in relationships at different times and they never had a chance to explore their feelings for each other. “The first season I had a major crush on Jen,” Schwimmer said. “It was reciprocal,” Aniston added. “At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other,” Schwimmer continued. “But it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that.” LeBlanc jokingly interrupted, saying: “Bullshit!” 

“Honestly, I remember saying one time to David, ‘It’s going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television,’” the actress shared. “Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. So we just channeled all of our love and adoration for one another into Ross and Rachel.” The cast later discussed Aniston and Schwimmer’s attraction, saying they used to cuddle and spend a lot of time together on the set—and everyone else agreed that they knew what was going on. Cox said that she was glad they never pursued each other further as it might have changed the dynamics between them if their relationship didn’t work out.

What would Friends have been without Ross? Creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman felt that Schwimmer was the perfect fit to play Ross Geller, but it almost didn’t happen. They revealed that they met him during filming for a different pilot and that he was on their minds as they started writing the character. They knew they wanted him for the role, only to find out that Schwimmer had quit television and moved back to Chicago to focus solely on doing theater after a bad experience on a show. The creators said they begged him, told him he inspired the character, sent him the script, gift baskets as well as promised him that this experience would be different, and Schwimmer gave in and came onboard. 

During the special, the cast revisited some of the most iconic scenes and episodes from the show, and seeing them laugh hysterically at the moments that have stood the test of time was remarkable. They revisited the “The One with the Cop” episode from Season 5 where Ross is moving his new couch up the stairs and repeatedly screams “pivot!” at Rachel and Chandler. The way he laughed in the bloopers was as if he knew it would become one of the most popular scenes from the entire series—and it did. The show really would not have been the same without Schwimmer as Ross Geller.

Rachel Green is a fictional character that took on a life of her own. Men were obsessed with her and women wanted to be like her—copying everything from her style to her iconic haircut, famously dubbed “The Rachel.” The show’s creators said it was a challenge to find an actress that could play the part of the spoiled, sometimes self-centered Rachel, in a way that also made her likable and loveable to viewers. “Rachel was the hardest part to cast and it was the last part we cast,” Kauffman shared. 

“She could be a really unlikeable character. This is an incredibly selfish, self-involved, spoiled—In the wrong hands? You don’t like Rachel,” Crane said, adding that they saw a lot of women for the part. “Women who would come in wearing actual wedding dresses. And you didn’t really fall in love and you needed to because you needed to feel what Ross was feeling, and then Jennifer came in.” Aniston was already starring in another series called Muddling Through, but they took a risk and cast her as Rachel anyway, hoping her show wouldn’t be picked up by CBS for Season 2. They shot three episodes of Friends while the other show was still on, and they would have had to reshoot them if things didn’t go according to plan. The actress said she begged to be released from Muddling Through so she could star in Friends, and the producer told her: “I saw that show. I’m gonna tell you something. That show is not going to make a star. This show is going to make you a star.” He was so wrong. [Ed note: NBC entertainment chief Warren Littlefield actually killed Muddling Through before it even got to air its 10th episode, specifically to make way for Aniston’s work in Friends.]

The team thought casting the role of Chandler Bing would be the easiest of all, but it turned out to be a challenge because no actor had the comedic talents to deliver the lines the way they envisioned—until they met Matthew Perry. The only issue was that he had also signed on for another sitcom called L.A.X. 2194 prior to auditioning for Friends, and he had already taped the pilot. Thankfully, the show, which was about baggage handlers from the future, didn’t seem promising so Warner Bros. pulled him from it and added him to the Friends cast. “Someone from Warner Bros. actually was at the taping of 2194 and thought, ‘This show is never going, put him in Friends. We’ll be OK.’ And suddenly, there was our Chandler,” Crane shared during the special.  

In the Season 3 episode “The One Where No One’s Ready,” Joey and Chandler are fighting over a chair and after three perfect takes, Joey jumped into the chair on the fourth and dislocated his shoulder. “I went just to jump over the coffee table, and somehow tripped and my legs went up in the air and my shoulder came out of its socket,” LeBlanc shared. The actor was taken to the hospital and his arm was put on a sling. The injury was written into the show, but production had to wait for LeBlanc’s arm to heal to finish filming the episode. The show’s executive producer Kevin S. Bright said that what was supposed to be “the simplest Friends episode ended up taking the longest amount of time to shoot.”

The incident also started a tradition on set. LeBlanc recalled that the day of his accident, the group had skipped their usual pre-taping huddle for the first time because they were running late. Once he was healed, LeBlanc made it a point for the huddle to happen every single time to avoid any other mishaps. “After that, we always did it,” Kudrow said.

No one could have played Joey quite as well as Matt LeBlanc, that’s for certain. But the role almost went to another actor, who also later appeared on the show as Joey’s twin. LeBlanc auditioned at NBC alongside actor Louis Mandylor. LeBlanc didn’t have much experience but the creators loved the way he delivered the lines so the role ultimately went to him. Ironically, Mandylor returned to the show years later for “The One with Unagi” episode. In the Season 6 episode, Joey hires a fake lookalike named Carl to play twin, and it was played by Mandylor.

Despite the lack of diversity on the show that has been openly discussed over the years, the reunion emphasized that the show and its characters were relatable to people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. During the special, fans from around the world (including people from India, Mexico, Japan, and Ghana), talked about how the sitcom helped them through difficult times, pulled them out of a depression, helped soothe their anxiety, and provided comfort and entertainment while they faced their personal battles. They said the six characters made them feel less alone and watching the show inspired them to keep going forward. “It became a reason for me to get out of bed,” a fan from Ghana said. “They have no idea the kind of impact they have actually made on the world. So when they sleep they should relax knowing that they have saved more lives. Even if they don’t know them, I am one.”

Image via HBO Max

The creators and the cast revealed that the fans’ reactions influenced a lot of the decisions that were made throughout the course of the show and during filming. Matthew Perry shared that he felt anxious whenever the audience didn’t react well to one of his jokes. The actor recalled performing in front of the live audience and that he “felt like I was going to die if [the audience] didn’t laugh.” He said: “It’s not healthy, for sure, but I would sometimes say a line and they wouldn’t laugh and I would sweat and just go into convulsions… I would freak out.” The creators revealed that making Monica and Chandler a couple happened only after hearing the audience react to seeing them in bed together. The pair were only supposed to have a one-night stand and ended up getting married and having children together.

After all, it was the fans who have been begging for a reunion, and after years of waiting, they have received it. One thing they won’t persuade the cast to do is to make a Friends movie and for a good reason. “That’s all up to Marta and David and I once heard them say, and I completely agree, that they ended the show very nicely, everyone’s lives are very nice,” Kudrow said. “They would have to unravel all those good things in order for there to be stories. I don’t want anyone’s happy ending unraveled.”

Watch the Friends: The Reunion special, streaming now on HBO Max.