More than two decades have passed since the 1994 debut of Friends on NBC.
The sitcom became a launching pad for its stars, who were all living in relative obscurity
before their network smash hit.
Here's a closer look at the cast of Friends before the fame.
Courteney Cox
Many fans know that Courteney Cox got her showbiz break in a Bruce Springsteen video.
She also played Alex Keaton's girlfriend in Family Ties and Jim Carrey's sweetheart in
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, but Cox told the L.A. Times that it was a failed CBS series
called The Trouble with Larry that paved the way for her role as Monica Geller on Friends.
"Oh no, was I cleaning in my sleep again?"
She said,
"No one had ever seen me like that.
I was mean and I was the funny one, and from that I was recommended for Friends."
For Cox, the transition from playing it straight to becoming a comedien was refreshing.
She told the outlet,
"That's why I love Monica […] She can be goofy and angry and sarcastic and a little
bit naughty."
"Ok, so I'm responsible, I'm organized, but hey, I can be a kook"
Jennifer Aniston
Early in her career, Jennifer Aniston was entangled in more than one TV series that
didn't succeed.
Luckily her sixth pilot, Friends, went on to series.
Before that, the daughter of actor John Aniston waited tables at a Manhattan restaurant while
taking psychology classes at night and auditioning for stage roles by day.
She told People magazine, quote, "I was such a loser."
"Surprise"
The publication reported Aniston dropped 30 pounds after moving to Los Angeles in 1990.
Only three hours after auditioning for the part of Rachel, the-then 25-year-old actress
found out she'd booked the role.
She remembered,
"I thought, 'Whoa!
I never figured this would be happening to me at this age!'
I thought I would be older, wiser, better."
"You have no idea how good it feels to say" "I will never have to make coffee again"
Lisa Kudrow
For Phoebe Buffay, writing something memorable meant composing the tune "Smelly Cat," but
for Vassar grad Lisa Kudrow, her real-life writing was on another level.
"Watch, learn, and don't eat my cookie"
Kudrow co-authored a scientific paper in '94 called "Handedness and Headache" with three
others, including her father, Dr. Lee Kudrow, who founded the California Medical Clinic
for Headache, which is now headed by her brother.
"How are you gonna face the other science guys?
How are you gonna face yourself?"
The Kudrow family reportedly has a history of migraines, which apparently inspired its
studies, according to People.
So what does Lisa think of her father and his work?
She told the mag, quote, "My dad is soooo cool."
Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry's struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction are well-documented.
"Mostly it was drinking.
Yeah.
And opiates"
But what is less well-known, is that before he played wisecracking Chandler Bing on Friends,
Perry cracked serves and returns on the court.
"Oh my God, you're good.
It's like watching pr0n"
Perry was a top-ranked Canadian junior tennis player who practiced for about 10 hours a
day.
He told the New York Times,
"I needed to succeed at whatever I was doing so I could feel better about myself.
I had this incredible drive on the tennis court, and that translated into acting."
David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer is best known as geeky anthropologist Ross Geller on Friends, but he cut his acting
teeth as co-founder of Chicago's Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company.
His colleague Joy Gregory told The Washington Post,
"It was David who very much initiated our trademarks — literary adaptation, physical
theater, the stress on ensemble.
And after we all graduated from college, we were feeling very much like David was our
director."
"It's important that you understand that it's about communicating very private emotions"
Schwimmer was pretty nimble in his leadership role, too, telling Interview magazine,
"At one point I was a really good roller skater, some gymnastics.
[…] I wasn't that good of a singer, so I didn't really emphasize that, but I was a
pretty good dancer."
"Ross, I think we should stick to the routine.
We don't wanna look stupid"
Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc hails from a blue-collar background, working as a carpenter's apprentice before
heading to L.A. and finding fame as Joey Tribbiani on Friends.
"How you doin,How you doin,How you doin,How you doin,How you doin,How you doin"
A chance New York City sidewalk encounter with an actress led to LeBlanc meeting her
manager, and changing the course of his life.
He told THR,
"I could have been framing houses in the snow in New England in winter, instead of telling
jokes on TV."
"I'm a doctor, Cliff, not a mathematician"
The actor also revealed on Conan that he was almost broke when he landed his part on the
sitcom.
"You know when you think alright I got a little money int he bank, I can hold out to the next
gig, I had I think I was down to $11" "Now that's holding out too long"
LeBlanc is now worth about $80 million, but during his "starving artist" days, he even
attempted to improve his smile by filing a tooth with emery boards instead of paying
a dentist.
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