The Friends Cast Reveals The Pre-Show Ritual They Almost Always Performed
"Friends" might have concluded 17 years ago, but fans still can't get enough of the hit sitcom that turned a simple haircut into a cultural phenomenon back in the '90s. Ever since the emotional finale aired in 2004, fans have hoped to see Ross (David Schwimmer), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Chandler (Matthew Perry), and Monica (Courteney Cox) in the same room again — ideally in the form of a series revival. It's highly unlikely that another season of "Friends" will ever come to fruition, though fans can find some closure courtesy of the "Friends: The Reunion" special that's now available to stream on HBO Max.
"Friends: The Reunion" features the cast and crew reminiscing and sharing some stories about their time on the show, speaking on everything from rumors of on-set romances to their habits. This included the cast members opening up about their behind-the-scenes rituals, one of which they had to do before nearly every episode.
The Friends cast did a group huddle
In the reunion special, Matt LeBlanc explained that the cast formed in a huddle before each taping began, but one night, as Lisa Kudrow revealed, the actors didn't do it. "We were sort of like, 'We're taking too long, the audience has been waiting — let's just go,'" she said.
That one time they opted not to engage in their pre-recording routine, LeBlanc dislocated his shoulder on the fourth take of a scene that required him to jump over a coffee table and onto a chair. After the painful incident, the gang decided that some habits shouldn't be broken. "After that, we'd be like, 'Do we need to do the huddle?' And [Matt LeBlanc] would be like, 'Yeah, 'cause I don't want anything else falling off,'" Kudrow shared.
That said, LeBlanc proved to be quite injury-prone during his time on "Friends," playing the lovable oaf Joey. As ET Canada notes, while filming "Friends" over the years, LeBlanc suffered several injuries, one of which could have cost him the gig that made him a household name. According to the actor, he got drunk and fell face-first into a toilet right before his final callback; the accident resulted in him having to show up to his audition with a scab on his nose. Fortunately for LeBlanc, his clumsiness helped him land the part of Joey on "Friends," and the rest is history.