Friends: Why Russ Is Played By “Snaro” (When It’s Really David Schwimmer)
Friends once had a Ross doppelganger named Russ, who according to the credits was played by Snaro, aka David Schwimmer in a wig and prosthetic chin.
Russ is introduced during a difficult period in Ross and Rachel’s relationship timeline after Ross made a list of cons and pros of her and his girlfriend Julie (Lauren Tom), as he didn’t know who to pick. In the aftermath, Rachel started dating Russ. Of course, the joke was that Russ was just Schwimmer in a wig, but in the show, the similarities were enough to freak the group out — except for Rachel and Ross, who just didn’t see it. In the end, Rachel realized Ross and Russ were almost identical copies of one another and broke up with Russ. Unlike what many people believed for years, Russ wasn’t played by a Schwimmer lookalike, and it was, in fact, Schwimmer himself, though he was credited as “Snaro.”
Snaro Was An In-Joke Used To Confuse Friends Fans
With a little bit of makeup and TV set magic, Schwimmer played both Ross and Russ. The actor looked just different enough in the role of Russ for fans to have an inkling of doubt whether Schwimmer’s lookalike was really him. However, it is obvious looking back on the episode that Schwimmer plays both, as no one could be so similar to Ross as the man who knew him best. It was later confirmed that Snaro and David Schwimmer are one and the same. Schwimmer was credited as Snaro as a tribute to one of his friends, and it’s also an alias he used from time to time.
Friends Used The Credits To Make Jokes More Than Once
The Snaro incident wasn’t the only time that Friends used the credits to make a joke. Friends season 6, episode 1, “The One After Vegas” saw everyone’s name in the Friends credits changed to say “Arquette” in the opening credits. This was because of Courteney Cox (Monica). Over the filming break, she had gotten married to her Scream co-star David Arquette, and had therefore changed her name to Courteney Cox-Arquette. So, the production team decided to celebrate the couple’s nuptials by changing all of the actors’ names in the opening credits to match hers.
It’s a fun bit of Friends trivia, like the answer to the question “Who played Russ on Friends?” that only superfans know. Friends was a landmark sitcom overall, and it’s only been made better over time with the number of in-universe jokes that have gone on, like Phoebe’s twin Ursula also being a waitress in Mad About You.
A Lot Happens In The One With Russ
The mystery behind Snaro is not the only notable aspect of the episode “The One with Russ.” In fact, this is a fairly important episode in the series as it has some landmark Friends moments that fans might have missed. This includes the first mention of Days of Our Lives‘ Dr. Drake Ramoray who Joey would go onto play for several years. It is also the first time Phoebe drops her catchphrase “Oh no.” While the exacerbated line she utters whenever something doesn’t go her way is a lowkey catchphrase compared to Joey’s “How you doin’?” it has a lasting legacy on the show. Finally, it is the final appearance of Ross’ ex-girlfriend Julie — who appropriately finds a new man in Russ.
