WILDEST FACTS Surprising Things Not Even Diehard Friends Fans Would Know
More than two decades ago today a show called Friends premiered on NBC. However, the majorly popular show almost never got aired.
First it tested poorly with early viewers, and some NBC executives were concerned about its morals, or to be precise Monica sleeping with someone on the first date… Phoebe was written as a goth girl. Joey wasn’t supposed to be so daft and Courteney Cox was originally cast as Rachel.
Here are some of the most surprising things that make Friends the show that will always be there for you (when the rain starts to pour).
The fountain scene was absolutely miserable to film
It was raining. It was 4 in the morning. The Friends cast was splashing around in a park in the cold — and supposed to look like they were having fun while doing so. But, despite it all, the cast was filled with undeniable hope. They were at the start of something exciting.
Ross was 29 years old for three seasons
While other characters aged, Ross’ age remained static for 60 episodes. Ross also doesn’t seem to know his birthday. At one point, he says his birth month is October; another time, December.
Believe it or not, the central couple was supposed to be Joey and Monica
“Initially we thought the big love interest was Joey-Monica. This is before we wrote the script, when we were just pitching the series,” Kauffman told NBC in 2004. Ross and Rachel getting together never occurred to them.
Bruce Willis guest-starred on friends because he lost a bet
Bruce Willis appeared on Friends for free, the result of a dare with Matthew Perry. He donated all the money he made to AIDs foundations.
Courteney Cox was originally offered the part of Rachel
But Cox had another role in mind: Monica. “For some reason, I thought I related more to Monica, which maybe it’s because I do,” Cox said on the Today show in 2017. “I’m very similar to her…I’m not as clean as Monica, but I am neat.”
Ellen DeGeneres actually turned down the role of Phoebe
Jane Lynch and Kathy Griffin were also in the mix for the part. Phoebe was originally supposed to be goth.