In case you didn’t already know, the “Friends” reunion is officially available for to watch however many times you want.
While fans got an opportunity to catch up with original cast members Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Matthew Perry (Chandler) and David Schwimmer (Ross), the reunion also showed high-profile stars that got to guest star on the hit NBC sitcom.
However, “Friends” fans probably noticed that Paul Rudd, who played Phoebe’s husband Mike, and Cole Sprouse, who made appearances as Ross’s son Ben were not present at the reunion.
In an interview with The Wrap, Ben Winston, the director of the HBO Max special, explained why the 52-year-old and 28-year-old actors were not present and how it wasn’t possible for them to participate in the reunion.
"Well, we couldn't have everybody on, because it's only an hour and 45 minutes. And you've got to pay attention — the main nub of the show has got to be about the six cast members," Winston said. "So you can't have too many cameos because of course, there were hundreds of amazing people who were in 'Friends' over the years. Sadly, we couldn't get everybody in.”
"You know, we did invite some people who weren't able to make it," Winston continued. "It's a complicated time to be making television now because, you know, some people couldn't fly internationally, some people were on other TV or film shoots, some people are in bubbles on stuff.”
Winston also explained how the COVID-19 pandemic was a factor due to working on a strict filming schedule and making sure everyone was safe.
"I think during a pandemic, it's really hard to get everybody where you want to be. And the other thing, of course, is we have no flexibility. It was one night that those six [main cast members] were available," he explained. "The timing of it was incredibly difficult. So, you know, if you weren't available on the seventh of April at 8 p.m., then, sadly, they weren't able to be part of it. Yeah, we couldn't get everybody in. It's just one of those things. I hope people will think about all the great things that are in there rather than the things that aren’t."
During the reunion special, fans learned new facts about the show, including one about Aniston and Schwimmer.
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Ross and Rachel, the “Friends” main couple, went through many ups and downs, but as fans knew all along, they were bound to end up together.
In real life, a romance almost blossomed between costars Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer.
During HBO Max’s “Friends: The Reunion” special, James Corden, the host, asked whether any of the cast members of the sitcom ever were involved in off-screen romances with each other. Both Aniston and Schwimmer quickly gave their answers.
“I mean, the first season, I had a major crush on Jen. At some point, we were crushing hard on each other,” Schwimmer said. “But it was like two ships passing, because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that.”
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