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Topics: Friends, TV And Film, Celebrity
Mia Williams
Topics: Friends, TV And Film, Celebrity
A Friends director made a ruthless claim about one guest star who appeared on the sitcom regularly.
One of the reasons that Friends has stood the test of time is because viewers are aware of how well the actors got on when the cameras turned off.
The show has seen as multitude of guest stars who didn't seem to disrupt the chemistry or seamlessness of the show at all, but according to the director, there was one that just didn't click.
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The beloved TV series has seen a load of Hollywood A-listers make cameo appearances on the show with Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd just to name a few.
Arguably, however, one of the most juicy seasons of the series saw a lot of Emily Waltham AKA Ross' second wife, who was played by Helen Baxendale.
Helen went on to star in 14 episodes of Friends with her character's romance with Ross (played by David Schwimmer) being pretty short-lived given that he said his ex-girlfriend Rachel's name (Jennifer Aniston) at the altar during their wedding in London, resulting in their divorce.
But, according to director James Burrows, Helen was apparently one of the guests he found the hardest to work with due to her 'not being funny'.
Ouch.
Opening up about what it was like on set in his 2022 memoir, Directed by James Burrows, he recalled of the episode 'The One with All the Rugby': "She was nice but not particularly funny.
"Schwimmer had no one to bounce off. It was like clapping with one hand."
He continued: "In sitcoms and any type of romantic comedy, the funny is just as important as the chemistry.
"We discovered that any new girlfriend for Ross needed to be as funny as Rachel.
"Often, you can't recast, because of tight shooting deadlines or other logistical considerations.
"You don't cast anyone to be a straw man, unless it's for one episode."
The director explained further how 'you need someone who gets laughs'.
He said: "Sometimes you start an arc and it ain't working out, so you have to get rid of that person. If it's a day player, it's a quick goodbye.
"The reverse is also true.
"If there's chemistry, the writers go to work to figure out some way of keeping the actor."
Helen previously also shared what it was like working with the six actors telling the Mirror back in 2012: "I look upon it as a strange surreal little blip in my life almost like a dream.
"They were all very nice and professional.
"We were never great mates though.
"People expect because it is called Friends that everyone was great friends, but they were real professionals.
"They'd been doing it for years and I was one of many guest stars to appear."