The 14 facts that even the die-hard Friends fan doesn't know
Hey you over there, how you doin’? You might have thought you knew everything about the best series ever, but think again. Singing along with the theme song, clapping on the four counts (otherwise it doesn’t count, of course), that’s a bit of the starting kit for watching Friends. Knowing that Chandler’s middle name is Muriel is already a start. But I’ve lined up a number of facts for you that you, as a die-hard fan, want to know, excuse me; must know. It’s something different than discussing whether they were or weren’t, right? on a break they were, right?
There have been rumors for a year now that Friends is really being removed from Netflix. Because the rights would be too expensive, and Warner Bros is also working on a streaming service. All the more reason to hold a marathon again. In the meantime, you can impress your friends with these fun facts. Oh. My. God. Could it BE any better?
1. When the show started, they planned to make Joey and Monica the central couple. Can you imagine that? Chandler and Phoebe were supposed to be just side characters who could occasionally say a funny line. I’m so glad they didn’t go through with that.
2. The characters were also supposed to be very different at first; Courteney Cox actually auditioned for Rachel. She later asked if she wouldn’t be better suited for Monica. And the rest is history, of course. By the way, Jennifer Aniston was also initially considered to play Monica. A good switcheroo if you ask me.
3. Do they remember the three episodes with Bruce Willis? Or Paul, the father of the student Ross had a relationship with. He took this guest role because he lost a bet with Matthew Perry on the set of The Whole Nine Yards. He even did it for free, as he donated his salary to charity. So Paul is really a neat guy.
4. Hank Azaria, better known to us as David the Scientist (yes, the one who moved to Minsk of all places), initially auditioned for Joey. How you doin’? In that case, a lot less good.
5. I sometimes forgot, but Ross actually had a son named Ben. This was one of the first acting jobs of Cole ‘Jughead’ Sprouse, who we now know from Riverdale. He said himself that he found it so difficult to act with Jennifer Aniston because he was so in love with her. Aww.
6. All six characters have kissed each other at some point during the series, except for Monica and Phoebe. So a bit of an incestuous click. Small side note: this includes the ‘What If’ episodes. A bit of a Moo Point, excuse me.
7. Not a fan of Rachel and Joey as a couple? No one, including the cast, was. They felt they didn’t belong together, and that it didn’t feel right. Hear, hear. Whether or not on a break, Ross and Rachel belong together. I mean, he’s her lobster.
8. Although many Friends fans can talk along and reenact all the scenes, that’s a bit worn out for the actors themselves over the years. In fact, Courteney Cox didn’t even remember if Phoebe and Mike were married. She didn’t even remember if she was in that scene. Um, hello? You were the wedding planner, girlfriend.
9. Matthew Perry pitched a comedy series in 1993 about a group of friends in their 20s, called Maxwell’s House. This series didn’t happen for him, as Friends was already in the works. He did get the role of Chandler (also known as Mrs. Chanandler Bong) and often helped the writers come up with jokes.
10. To help the cast bond better at the beginning of the series, the creators encouraged them to play poker. This later inspired them to make the episode ‘The One With All The Poker’. They also went to Las Vegas “in preparation” to shoot those episodes. Seems like not a bad work trip.
11. A case of who-the-hell-kept-track-of-this: Phoebe drank the most coffee throughout the series, a whopping 227 cups. Wow. I thought I had seen Friends often, but I’ve never sat counting in front of the TV.
12. When Friends premiered, People Magazine gave it a D+ and Times called the characters a group of “dysfunctional idiots”. Ouch.
13. Courteney Cox encouraged the creators to cast Matt LeBlanc for the show (who, by the way, only had a few dollars in his account when he was cast as Joey), because he was ‘so dang cute’. Nothing wrong with that if you ask me.
14. Wondering where Phoebe’s twin sister came from? She had been playing this role for a while in the series Mad About You, and that’s how they came up with the idea to bring her to Friends. This is also why Helen Hunt (who had the lead role in Mad About You) visits Central Perk once.
Any more facts that absolutely should have been included here? You can send them via carrier pigeon to 15 Yemen Street, Yemen. I know, that actually sounds like a real country! Okay, last fact then: Joey wasn’t written as so dumb at the beginning. That was a suggestion from Matt LeBlanc himself. And are you missing a point about what Chandler really did for work? I think even the biggest fan wouldn’t be able to tell that.
Written by: Wieke Veenboer
