Biggest Revelations From the Friends Reunion on Sky
The One Where the Friends Reunion Reveals Everything You Didn't Know About the Show
The highly-anticipated Friends reunion, aptly titled "The One Where They Get Back Together," finally had its premiere on HBO Max on 27 May, and seeing the cast — Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry — back together on the original Friends set brought tears to our eyes. The nearly two-hour special took fans down memory lane as the group shared their favourite guest stars, backstage secrets, and whether or not they had seen all the episodes. Apparently, Kudrow has not.
Joining them were previous guest stars in character, like Larry Hankin as Mr. Heckles and Tom Selleck as Dr. Richard Burke, and some out of character, like Christina Pickles, Elliott Gould, and James Michael Tyler. There were even a few celebrity fans that shared what the show meant to them, including BTS, Lady Gaga, Mindy Kaling, Malala Yousafzai, Kit Harrington, and David Beckham. To top it all off, the reunion featured some of the most iconic fashions from the show modelled by the likes of Cara Delevingne, Cindy Crawford, Justin Bieber, and even LeBlanc himself. "It was an incredible time. Everything came together," Cox said of the show. "We became best friends. Just the chemistry, the whole thing. It was life changing and forever will be. Not just for us, but for people who watch it and that is just such a great feeling to carry forever."
Ahead, read the biggest revelations from the Friends reunion, which is available to stream on Sky and NOW.
![Schwimmer had given up on TV when he asked to audition for Ross. While the role of Ross had been written for Schwimmer, his agent told producers Marta Kauffman, Kevin Bright, and David Crane that he wouldn't be interested. "[We] tried to get David, [but] David had quit television. He had a miserable experience doing another show. He moved back to Chicago to just do theatre," Crane explained. "We had to beg him and beseech him."
Louis Mandylor almost got the role of Joey over LeBlanc. The casting of Joey "went down to the wire" between LeBlanc and Mandylor. "But the funny thing about it is the other actor ended up in the show in 'The One With Unagi.' Playing Fake Joey, ironically," Bright shared.
Rachel was the hardest part to cast. Cox was originally in the running for the role, but persuaded producers that she was more of a Monica. It was important to get the casting right because, in the wrong hands, people would hate Rachel. Aniston almost wasn't cast because of her role on Muddling Through, which was still on the air at the time. She even begged execs of Muddling Through to release her from the show.](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/dZJNQzuybS-SncjwME8dkAdOZW8/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2021/05/27/675/n/1922283/f12e1fb166651558_V2_FRS_040621_TP_05819/i/Schwimmer-had-given-up-on-TV-when-he-asked-to-audition-for-Ross.jpg "Schwimmer had given up on TV when he asked to audition for Ross. While the role of Ross had been written for Schwimmer, his agent told producers Marta Kauffman, Kevin Bright, and David Crane that he wouldn't be interested. \"[We] tried to get David, [but] David had quit television. He had a miserable experience doing another show. He moved back to Chicago to just do theatre,\" Crane explained. \"We had to beg him and beseech him.\"
Louis Mandylor almost got the role of Joey over LeBlanc. The casting of Joey \"went down to the wire\" between LeBlanc and Mandylor. \"But the funny thing about it is the other actor ended up in the show in 'The One With Unagi.' Playing Fake Joey, ironically,\" Bright shared.
Rachel was the hardest part to cast. Cox was originally in the running for the role, but persuaded producers that she was more of a Monica. It was important to get the casting right because, in the wrong hands, people would hate Rachel. Aniston almost wasn't cast because of her role on Muddling Through, which was still on the air at the time. She even begged execs of Muddling Through to release her from the show.")
![Perry felt like he was "going to die" if the audience didn't laugh. Jokes didn't always land on the show, but Perry felt devoted to the audience. "And 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. If I didn't get the laugh I was supposed to get, I would freak out," the actor shared. This revelation was a surprise to his fellow cast as it prompted Kudrow to respond, "You didn't tell us that, though. I don't remember you ever saying that." Perry ultimately replied, "I felt like that every single night."
LeBlanc suffered multiple injuries thanks to Friends. Prior to his final callback, LeBlanc went out drinking with a buddy and ended up getting drunk and hurting himself in the process. When producer Marta Kauffman asked what happened when he arrived with a scabbed face, he fessed up and got the part of Joey. During the show's run, the one time the group didn't do their before-show huddle is the one time LeBlanc seriously injured himself while filming. While filming "The One Where No One's Ready," LeBlanc ended up going to the hospital after injuring his shoulder. This injury then had to be written into the show.
This is the last time the cast is doing a reunion like this. They are adamantly against ever doing a scripted reunion. "I once heard [the creators] say — and I completely agree — that they ended the show very nicely. Everyone's lives are very nice, and they would have to unravel all those good things in order for there to be stories, and I don't want anyone's happy ending unraveled. Also at my age to be floopy? Stop!," Kudrow stated.](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/5CjT6OY8dyxcuMzCQJXXNwi6JTM/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2021/05/27/675/n/1922283/11f00c5acd54da7b_matt-leblanc-jennifer-aniston-matthew-perry-courteney-cox-david-schwimmer-and-lisa-kudrow/i/Perry-felt-like-he-was-going-to-die-if-audience-didnt-laugh.jpg "Perry felt like he was \"going to die\" if the audience didn't laugh. Jokes didn't always land on the show, but Perry felt devoted to the audience. \"And 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. If I didn't get the laugh I was supposed to get, I would freak out,\" the actor shared. This revelation was a surprise to his fellow cast as it prompted Kudrow to respond, \"You didn't tell us that, though. I don't remember you ever saying that.\" Perry ultimately replied, \"I felt like that every single night.\"
LeBlanc suffered multiple injuries thanks to Friends. Prior to his final callback, LeBlanc went out drinking with a buddy and ended up getting drunk and hurting himself in the process. When producer Marta Kauffman asked what happened when he arrived with a scabbed face, he fessed up and got the part of Joey. During the show's run, the one time the group didn't do their before-show huddle is the one time LeBlanc seriously injured himself while filming. While filming \"The One Where No One's Ready,\" LeBlanc ended up going to the hospital after injuring his shoulder. This injury then had to be written into the show.
This is the last time the cast is doing a reunion like this. They are adamantly against ever doing a scripted reunion. \"I once heard [the creators] say — and I completely agree — that they ended the show very nicely. Everyone's lives are very nice, and they would have to unravel all those good things in order for there to be stories, and I don't want anyone's happy ending unraveled. Also at my age to be floopy? Stop!,\" Kudrow stated.")
