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Friends, the sitcom that never gets old or loses its charm, recently had a reunion after 17 years.
The popular show had a good run from 1994 to 2004, gaining instant recognition and love for its relatable plot and stunning cast. A Friends reunion special was announced and it premiered in May 2021 with celebrity guests starring in it as well.
10 'Friends' facts everyone should know about
Here's a look at 10 cool facts about Friends:
1) Courtney Cox was originally supposed to play Rachel
Before Friends premiered, Courteney Cox was already a star, having appeared in commercials and Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark music video. The producers of Friends originally wanted her to play the role of Rachel but Cox requested for Monica as she was a strong character.
Besides that, Cox is said to embody Monica, as she is a neat-freak just like her character. According to Friends writer Marta Kauffman:
"Let's face it, she's adorable and intelligent and really together. She is Monica. She has the neatest dressing room. She even cleans up the other actors' dressing rooms because she won't go in there if they are too messy."
2) Monica and Joey were supposed to end up as a couple
Although Monica ended up with Chandler which also came as a surprise, she was originally supposed to be with Joey. According to writer Marta Kauffman, the two characters seemed to have the most appeal as a couple.
But when Monica and Chandler first got together, the audience's response was so overwhelming that they let the show go in a different direction.
3) Ross was stuck at 29 years of age for three seasons
Ross probably wanted to stay young, as in the third season of Friends, he denies Chandler's offer for chocolate milk with "No thanks, I'm 29." Coupled with that, in the fourth season, the boys whinge about not partying as much as they are now 29 years old.
In the fifth season, Ross wonders what to do about Emily and laments,
"I either keep my wife and lose one of my best friends, or I keep my friend and get divorced for the second time before I'm 30."
4) Bruce Willis' guest appearance on Friends happened due to a lost bet
Bruce Willis, who made a guest appearance as Rachel's love interest, Paul Stevens, actually agreed to come on board due to losing a bet against Matthew Perry.
The two worked together on The Whole Nine Yards and placed some bet which Willis apparently lost. The Die Hard actor was paid for his guest appearance on Friends but ended up donating his paycheck to charity.
5) Matthew Perry's father also made an appearance on the show
In The One with Rachel's New Dress, Rachel means to surprise Joshua in a raunchy dress but is interrupted by his parents. Interestingly, the person playing the role of Joshua's dad is none other than John Bennett Perry, a.k.a Matthew Perry's father. One can see the resemblance between the father-son duo.
6) Monica is actually older than Ross in real life
Although Ross is Monica's elder brother in Friends, it's the opposite for them in real life. Courteney Cox, who portrayed the role of Monica, is actually older than David Schwimmer.
7) The names of all six 'Friends' characters were inspired by 'All My Children'
Friends drew inspiration from American drama show All My Children for naming its characters. Chandler and Ross were inspired from the Chandler family, Rachel's last name was picked up from Janet Green, Monica arose from Monique, Joey was contrived from Joseph 'Joey' Martin and Phoebe is for Phoebe Tyler Wallingford.
8) Gunther was a barista in real life
Actor James Michael Tyler, who portrayed the role of Gunther in Friends, revealed that he actually used to work as a barista at a coffee shop. He stated:
"I had a job at a coffee shop called The Bourgeois Pig in Hollywood, which is still around and one of the last independent coffee shops that hasn’t been taken over or whatnot. I was one of their first baristas—I think I started there in 1990 or so."
9) Paul Rudd got the role of Mike because he was 'dreamy'
Besides the fact that Paul Rudd was conferred with the title of Sexiest Man Alive in PEOPLE's 2021 list, his ageless self has always been considered dreamy, even when he's getting cast for a show.
According to Leslie Litt, the casting director for Friends:
"We had a casting session for that role, but no one was quite it. Paul agreed to do a one-time meet and read with Lisa Kudrow. All I wrote on my notes was ‘dreamy’!"
10) A quick change in apartment numbers
A very minor detail which only fervent Friends fans must've noticed is that between all the seasons, Monica's apartment number got changed. The modification was made after the writers realized that number 5 for an apartment did not denote a place on a higher floor in New York City, so it went from 5 to 20.
The same change was made for Joey and Chandler's apartment as it went from 4 to 19.
Stream all seasons of Friends on Netflix and enjoy the good times spent between TV's six iconic darlings.
