Many of us still regularly tune into the TV show Friends, despite it being 30 years old.
The US sitcom was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, spanning ten seasons. During this period, the characters were portrayed as being in their twenties and thirties.
Given that we’re so accustomed to seeing the characters (and the actors who play them) at this age, many are quite taken aback when they discover how much older the real people who played them are.
Online data reveals that Rachel (Jennifer Anniston) was supposed to be the youngest when the show aired, at 24, followed by Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Monica (Courtney Cox) at 25, Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Ross (David Schwimmer) at 26 and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) the oldest at 27.
Naturally, ten years later when the show concluded, the characters were then in their thirties. However, this is still significantly younger than they are today.
A post in a Friends Facebook page highlighted this, noting that Courtney Cox and David Schwimmer are now the same age that Monica and Ross’ parents were in the show.
According to the post, Judy and Jack, played by Christina Pickles and Elliott Gould, were 59 and 57 respectively in the show.
Courtney is now a year older than Judy was in the show at 60-years-old, while David Schwimmer is the exact same age Jack was supposed to be at 57.
Fans were left utterly shocked as a viral post revealed the age gap between the Friends cast, racking up a whopping 18,000 interactions. One gobsmacked fan blurted out: “Wow, that’s hard to believe.”
(Image: Instagram/@courtneycoxofficial)
Another chimed in with a philosophical note, saying: “Time and tide wait for no man.” However, someone else pointed out the obvious, adding: “Yep that will happen after 30 years.”
Many admirers reckon the stars have aged like a fine wine, with one enthusiast exclaiming: “All of them look great,” and another swooning over Courtney Cox, gushing: “Courtney still looks absolutely beautiful.”
Elsewhere, Jennifer Aniston is the baby of the group in real life at 55, while Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer are both 57. Lisa Kudrow is on par with Courtney at 60. Tragically, Matthew Perry passed away at 54 last year, found in his jacuzzi at his LA mansion.
Despite hitting the ripe old age of 30, Friends continues to capture hearts across generations. It snagged the number 21 spot on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and was number five on Empire magazine’s The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
The iconic sitcom also scooped up 62 Primetime Emmy nods, bagging the Outstanding Comedy Series trophy in 2002 for its eighth laugh-riot season.
The grand finale of the show on May 6, 2004, was watched by astaggering 52.5 million American viewers to their screens, making it the fifth-most-watched series finale in telly history and the 2000s’ most watched episode.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
