Friends director reveals one guest star he struggled to work with and the reason is brutal
Topics: TV And Film, Friends, Celebrity
Rhiannon Ingle
Featured Image Credit: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/David Bjerke/NBCU Photo Bank
Topics: TV And Film, Friends, Celebrity
A Friends director has explained why one of the show's most memorable guest stars was, in his opinion, difficult to work with.
Despite the fact it first hit our screens three decades ago, we're all still as obsessed as ever with the lives of Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross.
Still a go-to choice for some easy watching on Netflix, it's clear that Friends has clearly stood the test of time after being hailed as one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time.
Advert
However, it seems not everyone on set had a similar gift as the director of Friends, James Burrows, has revealed the one guest star he struggled to work with and the full reason is pretty brutal.
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 the director, 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' - "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."