Everyone remembers Ross’ car-crash marriage with Emily on Friends in Season 5 of the sitcom.
But things might have been very different on the show because it turns out bosses almost re-cast Helen Baxendale, who played his doomed wife. Friends director James Burrows heavily suggested that she was nearly replaced.
And it seems anybody who played Ross’ girlfriend had impossible shoes to fill, because they’d have to be as funny as Jennifer Aniston, who played Ross’ girlfriend (or “lobster”, as Phoebe put it).
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“She was nice, but not particularly funny,” Burrows wrote in his memoir, Directed By James Burrows. It seems he felt David and Helen lacked on-screen chemistry.
(Image: NBC)
“Schwimmer had no one to bounce off,” he added. “It was like clapping with one hand.”
The director 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.”
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(Image: NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
But it seems recasting wasn’t an option. He said: “Often, you can’t recast, because of tight shooting deadlines or other logistical considerations,” he explained. “You need someone who gets laughs. 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.”
Sometimes, though, the actors bounced off eachother perfectly. Burrows added: “If there’s chemistry, the writers go to work to figure out some way of keeping the actor.”
Emily first appeared in season four, where she struck up a romance with Ross during his stay in London. She went on appear in 14 episodes, during which Ross accidentally said “Rachel” at the alter instead of hers.
Eventually, the Brit agreed she’d try and make her marriage with Ross work, but only on the condition he didn’t see Rachel anymore. As fans know, he refused to do this and ended up rekindling his romance with Rachel in the final episode of series 10.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
