Another casting debacle revealed in the reunion special is that both Aniston and Perry had committed to other projects when the creators of Friends determined they wanted to two actors to play Rachel Green and Chandler Bing.
Kauffman explained that Rachel was the hardest part to cast, with Crane specifying that the character can come across as very unlikeable if it’s not played correctly. They were convinced that Aniston was the perfect person for the role but she was signed on to a show called Muddling Through, which had shot six episodes. The Friends team decided to take the risk and shared her with the other show.
Aniston revealed she went to the producer of Muddling Through and asked to be released from the project. That producer, at that time, said “that show’s not going to make you a star, this shows going to make you a star.” Perry was also signed to another show called L.A.X. 2194, which Kauffman describes as an “insane” show about luggage handlers in the future at Los Angeles International Airport.
Luckily for Friends, Warner Brothers was confident that show was not going to be picked up and Perry was OK’d to head over to Friends as Chandler.
Another LeBlanc injury was revealed in the reunion special from the episode “The One Where No One’s Ready.” There is one scene where Joey lunges onto a chair in an effort to get to it before Chandler. It worked out well the first three times but on the fourth take, LeBlanc’s shoulder came out of its socket.
Filming ended and the actor ended up having to wear a sling, which was written into the show with the explanation that Joey fell while jumping on his bed. When that accident happened, it was the first time the cast didn’t do their pre-show huddle and LeBlanc insisted that they do it every time they were shooting moving forward, fearful that another injury would occur.
Schwimmer didn’t necessarily have nice things to say about his co-star on the show, the monkey who played Marcel. The actor is still repulsed by the fact that the monkey would be fed live grub while he was on the Schwimmer’s shoulder. He is also still seeming frustrated that the planned bits and gags on the show were “messed up” because the monkey didn’t hit his mark.
