It’s been over 20 years since Friends aired its remaining episodes and, because it stays some of the rewatchable reveals in TV historical past continues, behind-the-scenes tales proceed to return out. We’ve gotten humorous anecdotes — the epic prank pulled on Jennifer Aniston — in addition to scary moments — Matt LeBlanc’s “genuinely horrifying” harm. Now, Courteney Cox has revealed a candy reminiscence, as she recalled the pre-show ritual she and her co-stars had.
The six stars of Friends skyrocketed to fame in 1994, and going by way of that entire expertise collectively — together with famously negotiating their contracts as a gaggle — shaped a bond between them that continues immediately. It looks as if that help for one another began fairly early, as Courteney Cox stated on the Inc. 5000 convention (through People):
We’d get in a huddle and we’d say, ‘Alright all people! Good luck!’ And we would give one another a hug and a excessive 5.
Any individual cue the Friends theme music, as a result of wow! What a candy method to middle themselves earlier than going out in entrance of the studio viewers and displaying their confidence in each other.
Along with Courteney Cox, the ensemble included Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry, who handed away in 2023 in an unintended drowning attributable to the “acute results of ketamine.”
There are many situations that show the Friends co-stars’ pre-show huddle wasn’t only for present. For instance, Matt LeBlanc helped Lisa Kudrow when she had issues enjoying Phoebe early on. Jennifer Aniston reached out to Matthew Perry about his habit a number of occasions, because the actor defined earlier than his loss of life. The colleagues have been collectively for a reasonably important decade of their lives, seeing one another by way of marriages, breakups, fertility points and extra.
It might have really been director James Burrows who set the tone for the six actors to turn into lifelong friends. In his memoir, he recalled the fabled journey to Las Vegas that he handled them to forward of Friends’ 1994 premiere, telling them this was their final shot at anonymity. He was proper.
They caught collectively after that, with Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow consuming lunch collectively day-after-day (although they didn’t have the viral salad that many have attributed to Aniston). Aniston grew to become the godmother to Cox’s daughter, and the actresses nonetheless shout out one another’s birthdays and even get collectively each every now and then. Additionally, whereas there’s in all probability no pre-show huddle anymore, the actors have typically made cameo appearances on one another’s tasks.
Given how a lot the Friends actors make in residuals every year, they in all probability don’t even have to hold working; nevertheless, the actresses are all concerned in some extremely anticipated tasks. Courteney Cox will reprise the function of Gale Weathers in Scream 7, set for launch on the 2026 film calendar. Lisa Kudrow additionally has huge issues occurring subsequent yr, because it was lately introduced she’ll return for a 3rd and remaining season of The Comeback, and Jennifer Aniston may even return to the small display as govt producer and star of The Morning Present Season 4.
Whereas we watch for these to occur, we will all the time relive the times of yore (or yesteryear) by streaming all 10 seasons of Friends with an HBO Max subscription and imagining the candy pre-show huddle that got here earlier than.