Friends was debatably the most popular American sitcom of the 90s. It won over our hearts with addicting story lines, ‘will they, won’t they’; we couldn’t get enough. The cast were excellent at making us laugh, could we be any more right? Did you know that many things that happened on the show were accidental? There were also some very interesting incidents that happened on the side, that might be noteworthy for many. Read through the article to discover the things about Friends that you didn’t know, and definitely should!
“Friends” Facts You Didn’t Know
Chandler’s Annie Singing
In ‘The One with the Tea Leaves’, there is a scene opening with Chandler singing ‘Tomorrow’, from the popular movie, Annie. He is singing however in a very feminine way with a high-pitched voice, to notice that he is being watched by Monica and Rachel, turning to a deep masculine voice. The scene was quite hilarious, and it’s even funnier knowing now that the scene was unplanned. Matthew Perry was signing randomly in the break, and it was caught on camera, which is why you can see Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston having a natural reaction. The directors loved the scene so much that they kept the scene for the episode.
Blue Blazer Black
In ‘The One with Phoebe’s uterus’, Chandler attempts to make a joke about Donald Trump wanting his blazer back, but accidentally says ‘Blue blazer black’. This scene was unique because although Perry messed up the line, and the joke; all the cast stayed in character. Each character had their own improvised response making fun of Chandler, until he changes the subject. It was amazing that all the cast thought of a humorous response on the spot and shows how the characters really resonated within the actors who played them.
Insomnia Cafe?
Did you know that the original title for the sitcom was called Insomnia Cafe? This was the name when the show was initially pitched, even having different plots. For example, Ross and Rachel were not supposed to be the main relationship that we followed, rather Monica and Joey. The name of the show bounced about to Friends Like Us, Across the Hall and Six of One until it finally landed on Friends.
Phoebe’s Pregnancy
We all remember in season 4 when Phoebe was pregnant with her brother’s triplets (surrogacy of course!). Did you know however that Lisa Kudrow was actually pregnant in real life though? The writers of the show were not keen on hiding the pregnancy from the show, especially as in the later stages it would become difficult to hide. Therefore, the writers simply wrote it into the series!
Salary Negotiation
At the beginning of the series, the cast members all earned around $22,000 an episode. Apparently by season 2 the cast all had different salaries. In 1997, the cast got together and gave the directors an ultimatum. They demanded that they all received the same salary, $100,000 an episode or they wouldn’t work. The negotiations were successful and by the very end the cast were each earning $1 million an episode.
Ross and Rachel Never Dated In Real Life
Sometimes on-screen chemistry can seem so real, it can be hard to believe that there aren’t real feelings there. This was certainly the case with Ross and Rachel, well Jennifer and David. However, they never actually dated in real life. It was revealed in the Friends: Reunion, that the pair did have real feelings for each other. However, it never quite worked out for them, as they were never single at the same time. This was revealed to be the primary reason they never dated! We wonder what it would have been like if they had been single at the same time.
Apartment Number Change
Did you ever notice this? At the beginning, Monica’s apartment was number 5. However, the producers realized that it didn’t make sense because Monica lived on a higher floor. After this, they changed the number to 20, as well as Chandler’s to 19. It is probably a good thing they noticed this sooner rather than later, as a change like this too late would have come across as rather strange.
Oh we sure miss Friends, we’re still sad they never made a movie!