The hit '90s sitcom "Friends" does a fantastic job of detailing the complicated love lives
of the main characters for 10 seasons. Monica and Chandler have their obstacles, while Phoebe
and Joey navigate the fling life. Still, the most complex relationship in "Friends" is
that of Ross and Rachel – a will-they, won't-they romance that begins in Season 1 and, by the
Season 10 finale, is nicely wrapped up with a bow.
Together, Rachel and Ross actors Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer made their characters'
relationship incredibly believable on screen. It's hard to watch "Friends" and not get teary-eyed
when the couple is fighting about whether or not they took a break.
"I didn't think there was a relationship to jeopardize, I thought we were broken up."
"We were on a break."
"That, for all I knew, that could last forever. That, to me, is a breakup!"
When the duo sat down with the rest of the cast for "Friends: The Reunion" on HBO Max,
some spicy details regarding the actors came out — but they actually blew the whistle
on themselves. As it turns out, there's a reason the chemistry between Ross and Rachel
is so believable.
During the show's reunion special, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer both admitted
to host James Corden that they had crushes on one another in the first few seasons of
"Friends."
"The first season, I had a major crush on Jen. At some point, we were both crushing
hard on each other — but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always
in a relationship."
Aniston confirmed, noting,
"I remember saying at one point to David, 'It's going to be such a bummer if the first
time you and I actually kiss is gonna be on national television!'"
She continued,
"Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop."
The actress explained that they "channeled all of [their] adoration and love for each
other into Ross and Rachel," which was clearly evident on screen. The actors didn't do much
to hide their crushes from their colleagues on set, as they often snuggled on the famous
coffee house couch, and would fall asleep spooning one another. However, Schwimmer confirmed
that they never became an item in their personal lives:
"We never crossed that boundary — we respected that."
Meanwhile, Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry admitted they knew of Aniston and Schwimmer's
feelings for one another, and Matt LeBlanc joked that the idea that they never hooked
up with one another didn't sound quite right to him.
"Bulls---."
Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer's "Friends" co-stars weren't the only ones aware of the
sparks that flew between the two early on in the show, particularly during Season 1.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter following the premiere of "Friends: The Reunion,"
series co-creator Marta Kauffman and director-slash-executive-producer Kevin Bright confessed that nearly everyone
on set was speculating about Aniston and Schwimmer's feelings for one another, as they were too
obvious to ignore. Bright revealed,
"It was a very hot topic on the set because the electricity between them in the scenes
was like, 'Oh my God, they can't be acting that, there's got to be something!' Everybody
was suspicious that something was going on."
He added that the chemistry that David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston shared on screen when
they were in character is what kicked off all the speculation. Everyone was curious
to see if their relationship was going farther than that, but according to Kevin Bright,
"Nobody saw anything, nobody found anything; it was just rumors that were all based on
how good they were as actors."
Thanks to Aniston and Schwimmer's recent comments, we know that they were, in fact, crushing
on one another in real life.
Kauffman agreed with Bright, telling the Hollywood Reporter that it was "pretty obvious" something
was up with Aniston and Schwimmer. She said,
"We didn't know for sure because we never asked either of them, but yes, we thought
that perhaps might be going on."
And just like Aniston and Schwimmer never crossed a boundary by bringing their personal
and professional lives together, the minds behind "Friends" didn't let the stars' initial
romantic feelings shape the storyline between Ross and Rachel. Kauffman explained,
"It did not wind up inspiring [Ross and Rachel's storyline] honestly at all. If anything, their
ability to channel those feelings into Ross and Rachel just made the longing all the more
relatable."
Although Aniston and Schwimmer never became a couple in real life, at least Ross and Rachel
finally got their happy ending by the series' finale. All's well that ends well, right?
"Friends: The Reunion" is available to stream on HBO Max now.
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