Friends actor hits out at show’s ‘insane’ diversity casting
One memorable Friends character has hit out at the show's 'insane' diversity casting, decades after he appeared on the sitcom.
The beloved show ran from 1994 to 2004 and followed the lives of Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Ross (David Schwimmer), Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc).
Brits - and the rest of the world - are still utterly obsessed with the US sitcom, which has truly stood the test of time.
Even cast members - both regulars and cameo stars - are *still* talking about the show, decades later.
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One character from the second season who we certainly can't forget in a hurry has recently spoken out about the sitcom, and specifically its diversity casting.
Adam Goldberg featured in three episodes back in 1996.
He played Eddie, Chandler's roommate after Joey moved out following the success of his acting career on Days of our Lives.
Viewers might remember Eddie for being rather unpredictable, accusing Chandler of having an affair with his girlfriend Tilly and bringing home a replacement pet fish, which was actually turned out to be a fish-shaped cracker.
The actor was recently asked by The Independent about NBC's lack of representation in the show.
He said: “In terms of diversity, looking back, it seems insane.
“I’ve heard Black people speak about this and it’s like, you never expected to see yourself, so when you didn’t, it was not a surprise, and you ended up identifying to characters, irrespective of their race.
"It was just the norm that there was such a lack of diversity.”
It's not the first time the cast and crew members have spoken about the issue.
Back in 2022, creator Marta Kauffman said she was 'embarrassed' by the lack of diversity.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, she said: “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy.
“It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”
Meanwhile, in 2020, David Schwimmer told the Guardian: “I was well aware of the lack of diversity and I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of color.
"One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian-American woman, and later I dated African-American women. That was a very conscious push on my part.”
Goldberg also revealed he almost turned down his role in Friends because he was being 'a snob' about the part.
“It wasn’t super notable to me at the time, because I was a snob," he said.
"... I remember very specifically getting the call from my agent and them saying they were offering me this part, and that it started maybe two days later – everything’s always very fast in that world because you’re shooting an episode a week. And I was like, ‘No way. I’m not doing that show.’ And my agent was like, ‘Yes, you are.'
"When you’re working with somebody like Matt, who has such great comedy chops, your game just gets elevated.
“I remember just joking around a lot, having a lot of really quick repartee.”
Topics: Friends, TV And Film, US News, Celebrity
Lucy Devine