Friends Reunion: Director Explains Why Paul Rudd Was Missing From Lineup

Friends fans were left sobbing at the show's reunion as it aired on Thursday, as Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston all returned to the set of the show that made them.

There was a star-studded cast in attendance to celebrate the sitcom, including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, pop sensations BTS and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai.

But some fans were sad to see some series regulars missing, including Paul Rudd, who played Phoebe's husband Mike, and Dylan and Cole Sprouse (who got their break as Ross Geller's son, Ben).

Warner Bros)

According to the director of the special, there is a simple - and somewhat inevitable - reason for this.

Ben Winston explained that unfortunately Covid-19 restrictions had got in the way, as did time constraints.

"Well, we couldn't have everybody on, because it's only an hour and 45 minutes. And you've got to pay attention - the main nub of the show has got to be about the six cast members," he told The Wrap.

HBO/ Sky)

"So you can't have too many cameos because of course, there were hundreds of amazing people who were in Friends over the years. Sadly, we couldn't get everybody in."

There were other stars who were too busy to attend, because of other commitments (something that could have likely affected Marvel favourite, Paul).

"You know, we did invite some people who weren't able to make it," he confirmed. "It's a complicated time to be making television now because, you know, some people couldn't fly internationally, some people were on other TV or film shoots, some people are in bubbles on stuff."

Warner Bros)

While we didn't get to see Mike and Phoebe reunite on screen, we did see some pretty beloved faces, including Maggie Wheeler (Janice), James Michael Tyler (Gunther), Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles (Jack and Judy Geller) and Larry Hankin (Mr Heckles).

Other attendees included Thomas Lennon (Joey's hand-twin), Tom Selleck (Richard Burke) and Reese Witherspoon (Jill Green).

Topics: Celebrity News, TV News, TV & Film, TV Entertainment, Friends

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Tyla with a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches, too. Contact her at [email protected].

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