Although the cast of Friends portrayed a close-knit group of inseparable friends on screen, the off-screen reality was surprisingly different, as Lisa Kudrow recently revealed.
The 61-year-old actress, famous for her quirky portrayal of Phoebe Buffay on the beloved sitcom, opened up about the surprising lack of contact between the cast after the show ended.
Despite their 10 seasons, the iconic sextet (Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry) only reunited once in the 17 years between the series’ finale in 2004 and its meeting in 2021. HBO max.
“The six of us had only had dinner once since the show ended,” Kudrow admitted Tuesday. Dinner is on me podcast hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Despite the long hiatus, the cast picked up right where they left off when they finally reunited for dinner 10 years after the finale.
“It was just us at someone’s house and we had dinner and we didn’t miss a beat,” Kudrow said.
Although the cast of Friends portrayed a close-knit group of inseparable friends on screen, the off-screen reality was surprisingly different, as Lisa Kudrow recently revealed; (seen in 2022)
Despite their 10 seasons, the iconic sextet (Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry) only reunited once in the 17 years between the series’ finale in 2004 and its meeting in 2021 on HBO maximum; (seen in 1994)
This revelation comes shortly after Kudrow also opened up about the complexities of her relationship with her Friends co-stars on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast.
In a candid conversation, he admitted that “the six-way relationship took some work” and “they worked hard to be friends.”
His confession comes after he admitted that he started re-watching Friends to keep Perry’s memory alive following her tragic death in October 2023.
She said that over the course of the television series’ 10 seasons, she and her co-stars became friends in real life.
For that reason, they had to make an effort to “really talk things out” whenever they had any misunderstandings between them.
“If someone said or did something, it didn’t get too big because they would say, ‘Can I talk to you?'”
He said he had trouble with the open communication style and explained that “it wasn’t usually me” who initiated the conversation first.
“I had to learn to say, ‘Can I talk to you about something?'” She said it was “difficult” because she wasn’t familiar with honest, direct dialogue.
He explained that he “never knew that was allowed,” but he learned about “respectful communication” from his co-stars.
“The six of us had only had dinner once since the show ended,” Kudrow admitted on Tuesday’s Dinner’s on Me podcast hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
This revelation comes shortly after Kudrow also opened up about the complexities of her relationship with her Friends co-stars on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast.
“I saw it modeled very well by Courteney, Jennifer and Matt,” he said.
This comes months after she revealed that she started re-watching Friends to keep her late co-star Perry’s memory alive.
Kudrow starred alongside Perry’s wisecracking character Chandler Bing on the iconic show from 1994 to 2004.
Following his tragic death at the age of 54 in October 2023, she said she began watching episodes to celebrate her late co-star and friend.
“Honestly, I couldn’t watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch for yourself,” he said. The Hollywood Reporter in June. “But if I make it about Matthew, then it’s fine.”
She continued, “And it’s just celebrating how fun he was, and that’s what I want to remember (about him).”
She said the talent of her co-stars blew her away, saying of Perry, “Nobody knew that comedic cadence or rhythm before him.”
Kudrow also reflected on days on set with Perry, who she said often made her cry with laughter.
She said that over the course of the television series’ 10 seasons, she and her co-stars became friends in real life. For that reason, they had to make an effort to “really talk things out” whenever they had any misunderstandings between them.
He said he had trouble with the open communication style and explained that “it wasn’t usually me” who initiated the conversation first. He explained that he “never knew that was allowed,” but he learned about “respectful communication” from his co-stars.
“I saw it modeled very well by Courteney, Jennifer and Matt,” he said; friends frame
“You’re basically laughing all day, between scenes, because they’re funny people,” he recalled.
And especially someone like Matthew, whose goal was: How many laughs can I get in real life every day? “So we always laughed so hard that tears came down our faces.”
Friends was a critical and award-winning success, earning a total of 62 Emmy nominations over its 10 seasons.
The show won six Emmy Awards, including Best Comedy Series in 2002, and Aniston and Kudrow received individual acting awards for their iconic performances as Rachel Green and Phoebe Buffay.