The story of six cheerful friends, told with a terrific
sense of humor, was strikingly different from the soap operas popular back in
the 90s. Even to this day, “Friends” are one of the most beloved TV
shows in the world, according to the results of numerous surveys.
Even though it’s incredibly popular, most of the viewers still have no idea
what’s been going on behind the scenes. And that’s where we come in. Here are 17 behind-the-scenes facts
about Friends you probably didn’t know.
1. In 1993, Matthew Perry NBC the script of a sitcom titled “Maxwell
House” about a group of young people. The network turned it down because
they had already begun working on a similar show – “Friends.”
2. Monica and Joey were supposed to become the main couple.
3. The frame around the peep-hole used to hold a mirror. During the pre-production, it was broken by one of the crew members, but the frame was left in place because it still looked fancy.
4. In the early stages, the screenwriters considered making Chandler gay. Hence all the jokes in the show.
5. Ellen DeGeneres could’ve been our Phoebe!
6. The legendary orange couch from the Central Perk was found by the set designer in the basement of Warner Bros. Studios.
7. The age of the actors at the time of the premiere:
Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow were 30
Matt Le Blanc and David Schwimmer were 29
Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry were 25.
8. Only the second season didn’t have a Thanksgiving episode.
9. Jennifer Aniston admitted that she hated Rachel’s iconic hairstyle.
10. Courtney Cox was the only actress who did not receive an Emmy nomination for her role in Friends.
11. Christina Applegate got a very special invitation. She played Amy Green, Rachel’s sister, for a Thanksgiving episode (Season 9) after Reese Witherspoon, for some reason, was unable to play Jill Green again. Christina got an Emmy for Best Guest Actress for that episode.
12. Bruce Willis starred in the series for free! During the filming “9 Yards,” Matthew Perry made a bet with Willis that if the movie tops the box office on the first weekend, he would have to play in Friends for free. And that’s precisely what happened. So Willis, who’d been already invited for the cameo, gave all the money he earned to charity.
13. Initially, Gunther didn’t have any lines. In fact, James Michael Tyler got
the role simply because he knew how to operate a coffee machine. He worked as a
barista when he first appeared in the series and stayed along for the first
four seasons.
14. The fridge in Monica’s apartment really worked. If anyone was thirsty on
the set, it was always filled with water and soft drinks.
15. The statue of the white dog Joey bought in the show, originally came from Jennifer Aniston’s private collection.
16. During the first season, each actor received $22,500 per episode. And by season 9, they were getting a million dollars each.
17. More than 52 million people watched the final episode, and it was the fourth most-watched finale in the history of American television series.
