Friends is one of the most beloved ’90s sitcoms of all time. The Central Perk gang have become so ingrained in our pop culture, they’re practically family at this point.
However, as well as you might think you know Friends , there’s a lot that remains unsaid.
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See for yourself and check out these 10+ details about the Friends cast fans didn’t know.
*Friends* is one of the most popular shows of all time, whether you think it aged well or not.
Each character is so unique and hilarious that it makes it impossible not to love the show!
It’s also impossible not to love the cast!
However, even though fans love the cast so much, that doesn’t mean they know much about them.
Which is why we are here to help fans learn some more about the amazing actors and actresses that made this show what it was.
1. Courteney Cox was a total neat freak.
Admit it. When you think Monica, you think of cleaning. That’s what the show intended.
It turns out that Courteney Cox has more in common with Monica than fans might realize.
Creator Marta Kauffman once said, while referring to Courtney:
“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.”
How cute.
2. David Schwimmer didn’t even have to audition for the part of Ross.
In yet another interview given by Kauffman, she remarked on how, “Schwimmer had auditioned the year before for a pilot we were making, and he just stuck in our heads. That was an offer. No audition.”
3. Hank Azaria, who played David, auditioned for the role of Joey.
“That’s the only job I ever auditioned for twice. I thought it was so good — they had rejected me once — I said, ‘I’m going back, I’m gonna do it again, I’m gonna try it again.’”
4. Lisa Kudrow initially hated playing the guitar.
If she had gotten her way, Phoebe would have been an aspiring bongo player as opposed to a frustrated guitarist.
I for one am glad that she picked up the guitar. “Smelly Cat” just wouldn’t sound the same otherwise.
5. Courteney Cox is actually two years older than David Schwimmer in real life.
Courteney Cox was born on June 15th, 1964, whereas David’s birthday falls on November 2nd, 1966 .
I for one wouldn’t mind being aged-down two years, not in the slightest. I’m assuming many would agree with me.
6. Joey’s giant white dog statue actually belonged to Jennifer Aniston.
Supposedly, the dog was gifted to Jen as a good luck present.
She recommended that they use it for the episode and from that point onward it remained a permanent fixture.
7. Cole Sprouse, who played Ben, had a huge crush on Jennifer Aniston.
Listen, Cole Sprouse can’t be blamed, can he? It’s hard to imagine anyone standing in front of Jennifer Aniston and not having a crush on her.
He detailed his feelings in an interview.
He said:
“I had a really, really hard time working with Aniston because I was so in love with her. I was infatuated. I was speechless — I’d get all bubbly and forget my lines and completely blank … It was so difficult.”
8. Matt LeBlanc really did dislocate his shoulder!
“The commando episode was the week I dislocated my shoulder, and I had to go to the hospital. They wrote that in I remember, as Joey jumping on the bed.”
9. Matthew Perry’s father made a cameo appearance.
Remember the episode where Rachel is trying to seduce Joshua, only to have his parents walk in on them? The man who plays Joshua’s father is John Bennet Perry .
He’s the real-life father of Matthew Perry!
10. We’ve met Phoebe’s brother Frank once before.
Giovanni Ribisi would eventually go on to play Phoebe’s estranged adoptive brother, Frank. However, that wasn’t his only role on the show.
In season two, when Phoebe is protesting Central Perk banning her music, he has a small speaking role that reads in the credits as Condom Boy . Did they think the viewers wouldn’t notice?
11. Courteney Cox is the only regular cast member to not receive an Emmy nomination.
How is it even possible that David Schwimmer would be nominated for Ross but Courteney Cox , who is arguably the funniest Friend in the bunch, gets snubbed?
It just doesn’t make sense.
12. Jon Favreau, who played Monica’s boyfriend Pete, auditioned for the role of Chandler.
During a Reddit AMA, Favreau joked:
“Pete Becker was a man of tremendous focus and conviction . He set his heart to being the Ultimate Fighting Champion and I have no doubt that he gave it his all.”
“I’m only sorry that that chapter was never closed by the *Friends* writers because I’ll always have to live with the uncertainty of what his fate held.”
Although we loved to see him on the show, we can’t imagine the part of Chandler going to anyone else.
13. Shooting the finale gave Matt LeBlanc serious anxiety!
“I had quit smoking for four years, and in that final two weeks I started smoking again because we were so aware that our time together was coming to an end.”
14. By the time the final two seasons came around, each main cast member was making $1 million per episode.
Early on, the six of them banded together.
They decided that they would negotiate their contracts together and that not one cast member should be valued above the others. Talk about solidarity!
15. Jennifer Aniston’s Instagram debut was a picture of the *Friends* cast!
Her caption on the post reads “And now we’re Instagram FRIENDS too. HI INSTAGRAM.”
Clearly their love for one another runs deep even now, over a decade after the series came to a close.
16. Aniston, who wanted to be on *Friends*, was already committed to another project when the show started.
She had filmed six episodes for a show called Muddling Through . She almost left Friends too!
But we all know how that turned out.
17. James Michael Tyler, who played Gunther, was an actual barista.
He was actually hired for that particular reason: He was the only one who knew how to work the espresso machine!
He recently opened up about some behind-the-scenes secrets where he made that known!
“You know, I honestly always thought my Masters in fine arts would get me further in the acting world than knowing how to work an espresso machine!”
“That was a happy accident and I’m very, very grateful to have had that skill,” he said.
18. James Michael Tyler also had to bleach his hair every week.
“I actually… don’t! I had to bleach my hair every week for ten years – that’s a bit much. So I wouldn’t recommend it. However it was quite necessary and it definitely completed the character.”
19. Courteney Cox was originally offered the part of Rachel.
“For some reason, I thought I related more to Monica, which maybe it’s because I do,” she said.
“I’m very similar to her … I’m not as clean as Monica, but I am neat. And I’m not as competitive, even though some people, my partner (musician) Johnny McDaid, would say I am.”
“That was lightning in a bottle, to have those writers, those creators of the show and the team they put together, and the actors. It just worked.”
“I mean, the casting was perfect. It really was.”
20. Lisa Kudrow’s pregnancy was written into the story.
When Lisa Kudrow was pregnant in real life, the writers did her the favor of writing it into the show.
That’s how Phoebe Buffay ended up being the surrogate for her brother’s future triplets!
“The six of us would do a huddle backstage and just say, ‘All right, have a good show, love you love you love you love you.'”
“And when I was pregnant, then they would say, ‘Have a great show, love you love you — love you, little Julian!’ ‘Cause we knew it was a boy and that was his name,” she said.
21. Kudrow also has mixed feelings about the show getting a reboot or reunion.
To be fair, she’s not the only one who is having these feelings!
“They’re rebooting everything. I mean, something should be done, but I don’t know — how does that work with Friends , though?”
“That was about people in their 20s, 30s. The show isn’t about people in their 40s, 50s.”
“And if we have the same problems, then that’s just sad. That’s not fun.”
Do you want to see a reunion or reboot of the show?
Do you know any more interesting facts about the *Friends* cast?
Or were you pleasantly surprised by all of these super interesting facts about them?
Let us know down below in the comments!
