Credit: NBC[/caption]
Friends might have ended over a decade ago, but people still can't get enough of the iconic 90s show. From hoping for a reunion to simply enjoying discovering what the cast members are up to now. In fact, some people miss the show so much that they've gone as far as to try and recreate the Friends living room with IKEA furniture! Seriously. It's a thing. Google it.
So, to celebrate all things Friends, we've compiled a list of the best behind-the-scenes facts and gossip. Little tidbits of information that you can use to impress your friends the next time you binge watch the show after a wild night out!
[post_page_title]The Cast Took A Trip Before The Show Aired[/post_page_title]
First thing's first, the Friends cast members are in on the nostalgia surrounding the show, and Courteney Cox has shared a never-before-seen picture of the cast taken before the show even aired. She captioned it: "no one knew we were F.R.I.E.N.D.S yet." This snap was taken on a trip to Vegas that they took just before the show aired back in 1994 (don't worry, I can feel my hair turning grey as I write this too!).
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Credit: Instagram / Courteney Cox[/caption]
"We ate at Caesar’s Palace in Spago. I had me and six of them and I said - I don’t know why I said this - I said, 'This is your last shot at anonymity. Once the show comes on the air, you guys will never be able to go anywhere without being hounded,'" director Burrows said of the picture, adding that he had a feeling that the show was going to be huge: "I knew the show had a chance to really take off."
[post_page_title]Matt LeBlanc Was Broke[/post_page_title]
Back when the cast were virtually unknown, their lives were very different, and things weren't looking good for Matt LeBlanc. Before he was Joey, he really was a struggling actor and had just $11 in the bank - barely enough for pizza!
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Apparently, prior to landing the Friends gig, LeBlanc had planned on waiting tables to supplement his income. But given that he'd have had to wait a while before getting his first paycheck, had things worked out differently, the poor guy could have starved!
[post_page_title]The Producers Took A Risk On Matthew Perry[/post_page_title]
While things weren't quite as bleak for Matthew Perry before Friends, they weren't great either. He'd been cast in another sitcom pilot, called LAX 2194. In short, it was about baggage handlers working in the future and sorting out aliens' luggage.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Because of this, the Friends' producers were taking a real risk on the actor, hoping that LAX 2194 wouldn't be picked up for a full series. Although, given what it was about, it's pretty easy to see why it never made it. Aliens? Baggage? Nah.
[post_page_title]The Show's Original Title(s)[/post_page_title]
It doesn't matter whether it's a book, TV, show, movie or basically any work of art. Before something gets the perfect title, it goes through a lot of alternative names and Friends was no different - even if it's now hard to think of it being called anything else.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Bizarrely, the show was initially pitched as 'Insomnia Café' and by the time the pilot was commissioned, its name had been changed to 'Friends Like Us'. It was then called 'Across the Hall', 'Six of One' before the show was finally given the simple title 'Friends'.
[post_page_title]The Origins Of The Peephole Frame[/post_page_title]
The frame around Monica's door is now nothing short of iconic, but it wasn't always so. In fact, that little frame originally had a very boring purpose on the set and was initially home to a picture, but it was smashed by accident.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Then, after the glass was broken, director Greg Grande had the bright idea of placing it around the peephole to see what it would look like and voilà and iconic look was born. So much so that it's been emulated by thousands of friends fans the world over since then.
[post_page_title]Usula Predated Pheobe[/post_page_title]
Ursula predated Pheobe. Yes, you read that right. Pheobe's twin sister was around before her thanks to another NBC sitcom Kudrow also appeared in at the time, Mad About You. Because they aired on the same network, Kudrow kept the role while acting in Friends.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
However, when Mad About You came to an end, it was decided that a great way of tying the two together would be to have Ursula appear in Friends as Pheobe's twin sister. In case you're wondering, Ursula appeared in a total of eight Friends episodes.
[post_page_title]The Refrigerator Was Functional[/post_page_title]
It's no secret that a lot of props on TV shows aren't what they appear to be, but Monica's funky little refrigerator wasn't one of them. Whenever someone pulled a can of soda out of it, just like in real life, it would be cold.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
The fully functional refrigerator was helpful on set and meant that the cast and crew could have cold drinks and food as and when needed. Basically, the family atmosphere viewers saw on the show was very much a thing on set too.
[post_page_title]Bruce Willis' Cameo[/post_page_title]
While appearing on Friends really is a highlight in any self-respecting actor's career, Bruce Willis' cameo had slightly more unusual origins. He only appeared on the show because he lost a bet with Matthew Perry - but hey, he appeared for free.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
The pair had a bet that The Whole Nine Yards (in which they both starred) would be number one at the box office on its opening weekend. While Perry believed that it was going to be a hit, Willis had his doubts. Needless to say, Perry won!
[post_page_title]Why Pheobe Couldn't Play Guitar[/post_page_title]
It's no secret that Pheobe was blo*dy terrible at playing the guitar, and it turns out that there was a real-life reason behind this on-screen fail. Kudrow simply couldn't be bothered to learn the guitar herself, so Pheobe never improved.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
However, as I'm sure you'll agree, Pheobe's lack of skills with a guitar did more for her character's charm than mastering the instrument ever would have. Apparently, Kudrow was so bad at the guitar that she asked if Pheobe could learn the bongos instead.
[post_page_title]The Episode Dedicated To Courteney Cox's Marriage[/post_page_title]
There was also an episode dedicated to Courteney Cox's marriage; again demonstrating just how close-knit the cast and crew were. Entitled 'The One After Vegas' it featured Ross and Rachel's drunken marriage on the show and in real life, Cox had just married David Arquette.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
The marriage was also celebrated in this episode's titles where every cast member's surname was changed to Arquette to mark Courteney's name change and how happy everyone was for her! Sadly, she and Arquette have since split.
[post_page_title]The Romance That Almost Happened[/post_page_title]
Unbelievably a Monica and Joey love story was planned, but needless to say, it didn't quite make the final cut. They realized that after the actors were cast that the group's dynamic simply wouldn't allow for a Monica-Joey romance.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
It's a good thing that it didn't happen too - otherwise, we'd have never had the Friends power couple that was Monica and Chandler. Just like the show's many title changes, this too is a testament to how many changes creative works have to go through!
[post_page_title]This Cut Chandler Scene[/post_page_title]
Another change that took place was the cutting of a controversial Chandler scene. It was in the episode 'The One Where Rachel Tells Ross' where Monica and Chandler go on their Honeymoon and features Chandler joking about bombs on planes.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Understandably, this took on a whole new meaning in the wake of 9/11 and for obvious reasons, the scene was cut from the final episode. However, we're sure that if you scour the internet hard enough, you'll be able to find it somewhere.
[post_page_title]Janice Was A Superstar On Set[/post_page_title]
Believe it or not, all of Janice's scenes were shrouded in secrecy. This was done for a good reason though. The show's producers wanted to ensure that the audience reaction to her proclamations of "OH MY GOD" and iconic laugh were genuine.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Maggie Wheeler said that as a result, she was always kept hidden, and it made her feel like a rock star. So, the next time you're rewatching the show, when you hear people reacting to Janice's character, you can smile in the knowledge that it's totally genuine.
[post_page_title]Rachel And Joey's Romance[/post_page_title]
It's no secret that Friends fans hated the Rachel and Joey storyline - and it turns out that the cast did too. In a book about the series, Matt LeBlanc actually described the romance as "incestuous" and said it totally didn't fit with Joey's character.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Joey was a lot of things, but he wasn't the sort of dude to become besties with Ross just so that he could get with his baby momma. Jennifer Aniston was in agreement and that it would have been best if it was nothing more than a friends with benefits situation.
[post_page_title]Unexpected Storylines[/post_page_title]
Real injuries and conditions became storylines! What better what to make the most of the unexpected than to make some art out of it too? In the episode where Joey wears a sling, for example, this was the result of a real-life Joey injury that he got from jumping on a bed.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Another condition that became part of the show was Lisa Kudrow's pregnancy. This spawned a four-season storyline in which Pheobe acts as her brother's surrogate - the perfect explanation for her very real pregnancy bump.
[post_page_title]Salary Negotiations[/post_page_title]
The cast came together to negotiate higher salaries. During the show's first season, they were paid $22,000 an episode. After this, however, things began to change unevenly, and they were having none of it, so like true friends, came together to negotiate with producers.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Shortly before the third season, the cast argued that each of the show's main six stars should be paid equally, and this is exactly what happened. By the show's final few seasons, they were all making a whopping $1 million per episode.
[post_page_title]How It Could Have Ended[/post_page_title]
The series finale was supposed to originally end very differently. As we all know, in that fateful episode, Rachel got off the plane destined for Paris and decided to stay in New York with her baby daddy and the love of his life, Ross.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Originally, however, while the pair were going to end up together, it involved Ross flying to Paris to profess his love for Rachel and convincing her to come back to New York with him. But because the final season was a little shorter than the others, this idea was scrapped.
[post_page_title]The Final Season Almost Didn't Happen[/post_page_title]
< a href="https://vt.co/people/jennifer-aniston">Jennifer Aniston had her doubts about appearing in the tenth season - but boy are we glad that she did. By the time it rolled around, she was one of the world's biggest stars. She was married to < a href="https://vt.co/people/brad-pitt">Brad Pitt and doing a lot of work elsewhere.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Thankful, she didn't forget her Friends. Her reluctance to take part in the final season was the reason that it was shorter than the others. Because of commitments elsewhere, Aniston couldn't be on set as much as before.
[post_page_title]Matthew Perry's Struggle[/post_page_title]
Sadly, not all of the behind-the-scenes Friends secrets are happy. It's a little known fact that Matthew Perry battled addiction while working on the series. He was addicted to Vicodin and completed a 28-day rehab from the substance in 1997.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
This coincided with the show's third season, where eagle-eyed fans will have noticed the actor getting worryingly thin. While Perry did beat his demons for a number of years, he had to enter rehab again in 2001 when the show was in its seventh season.
[post_page_title]Aniston Hated The Rachel[/post_page_title]
Despite inspiring countless women to emulate her hairstyle, Aniston despised "The Rachel". She described the look that she sported on the show as "cringe-y" and ugly - adding that the style was impossible to maintain without the help of a stylist.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
To put how much Aniston hated her most famous haircut into context, the actress once said that she'd rather shave her head than sport the famous do again!
[post_page_title]Four Friends And Not Six[/post_page_title]
In the original idea for the series, there were only meant to be four friends instead of six - with two of them appearing occasionally. Who were those characters? I hear you ask.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
It was Pheobe and Chandler. Now that's one idea that I'm sure we're all glad never came to pass. Can you imagine how much less sunshiney the show would have been without Pheobe? It doesn't bear thinking about.
[post_page_title]The Inspiration Behind The Characters' Names[/post_page_title]
Friends might now be hailed as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, but it out that its creators were actually bigger fans of the soap opera, All My Children.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
In fact, the creators of Friends were such big fans of All My Children that they decided to name characters in friends after characters in that show. Monique, for example, became Monica!
[post_page_title]Pheobe The Goth[/post_page_title]
Pheobe became famous for her hippy ways on the show, but originally, things were supposed to be very different for the character, and she was actually written as a goth. Seriously.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Had that been the case, the world would have never been given the almighty "Smelly Cat". Instead, we'd have been listening to Pheobe try and fail to cover the likes of Iron Maiden (which, admittedly, would have still been funny).
[post_page_title]Monica's Promiscuity[/post_page_title]
Attitudes towards casual sex were very different in the early 90s, and in case your memory needs jogging, in the very first episode of Friends, Monica sleeps with a guy then forgets his name. This was something that producers worried audiences would judge her for.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
However, they conducted a survey to find out reactions before it aired and the majority of people said that they wouldn't judge her for this bit of forgetfulness and so the original storyline stood.
[post_page_title]Chandler's Sexuality[/post_page_title]
Candler's sexuality was a subject of debate among not only fans of the show - but other cast members. Lisa Kudrow assumed that Chandler was gay and was surprised when she was told that he wasn't at the show's first table read.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
This assumption translated to fans. So much so that the show's creator David Crane had to clarify that he was indeed straight in a 1997 interview about the show.
[post_page_title]The Cast's Friendly Pre-Filming Ritual[/post_page_title]
It's no secret that the Friends cast were like a family. They did, after all, spend a decade of their lives working on the show together, and it turns out that they had a friendly pre-filming ritual.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Before the cast got down to filming, they all had a group hug! Just like a true group of Friends! It's nice to know that what we saw and loved on screen was very much a reflection of reality.
[post_page_title]There Are Two Central Perks In The World[/post_page_title]
While the set of Central Perk might have been long destroyed, if you're looking to enjoy a coffee in a Central Perk, not the Central Perk, then it is possible as there are two recreations of that very cafe in the world.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
So where are they? I hear you ask. Well, there's one in Liverpool, England and another in Beijing. Perhaps you could somehow tie a visit to New York into the trip and go on a proper Friends vacation.
[post_page_title]The Lucky Ceramic Dog[/post_page_title]
There were a lot of quirky home decor items on the Friends set and unlike the frame around the peephole, one which few fans will have been able to emulate is Joey and Chandler’s big white ceramic dog.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
And a little known fact about this dog is that it actually belonged to Jennifer Aniston. It was a good luck gift from a friend that she was given when the series started. Clearly, it worked a charm!
[post_page_title]Rachel And Ross's Last Minute Love Story[/post_page_title]
Sometimes the dynamic of TV shows can completely change once the actors have been cast and that was certainly the case in Friends. Believe it or not, Ross and Rachel weren't initially meant to have the central romantic storyline.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
However, after producers saw their chemistry on screen, the knew that they'd be missing a trick if they didn't give the characters the love story they deserved - and boy are we glad they did!
[post_page_title]Chandler's Awkwardness Was Not Acting[/post_page_title]
The best comedy comes from a little truth; it's why so many comedians talk about their own lives and insecurities on stage. It's for this reason that Chandler was so awkward around women.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Matthew Perry told the show's producers that he was more than little awkward around women, and they decided to incorporate it into his character.
[post_page_title]A Coffee Shop Or A Diner?[/post_page_title]
While Friends might now be synonymous with its iconic coffee shop Central Perk, the producers, at first, had some very different ideas about where the fab six should spend their days.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
They thought that the coffee shop was a little too trendy a hangout for them and thought it would be better if they spent their time in a diner instead. It's a good thing they went with a coffee shop though, as the show went onto rival Seinfeld and its diner.
[post_page_title]Monica Or Rachel?[/post_page_title]
After Courteney Cox was selected to be in the show, producers initially wanted her to play Rachel. However, they decided that she'd be a better Monica because of how "strong" the character was.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
This didn't work out badly for Jennifer Aniston at all as she was the last Friend to be cast in the show, and ultimately became the show's biggest star.
[post_page_title]Ugly Naked Guy's True Identity[/post_page_title]
Any Friends fan knows that "Ugly Naked Guy" was talked about more often in the show than he actually appeared. And until recently, his identity remained a mystery.
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Credit: NBC[/caption]
Then, a Huffington Post journalist went on a mission to discover who he is and was successful. It was actor Jon Haugen, who, for completely understandable reasons, didn't want his name to appear next to Ugly Naked Guy in the show's credits.
