And then hearing all of you for the first time, I -- that blew me away. -That's what I remember.Friends: The Reunion · 2021 — Chapter 8 of 25 · 3'03" · B2
How Friends Cast Its Six, Explained: down to the wire
This is the story of how Friends got its cast. The creators saw a gazillion people, went months without casting anyone, and had to beg David to join. Then Matt walked in, and "the lines felt funny"—the same script, suddenly working.
What happens
The creators walk through casting the show. It was harder than expected: they saw a huge number of actors, then had a stretch where nobody got cast. David had quit TV and had to be persuaded back; Lisa nailed her audition; Matt competed down to the wire and won the part of Joey.
Listen for
down to the wirenailed the auditionon a rollkill it
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Phrase of the scene
down to the wire
拼到最后一刻；到最后一秒才见分晓
讲马特一路拼到最后一轮，还在电视台和另一位演员同场竞争。
The vote went down to the wire.
Also in this scene
- nailed the audition
试镜发挥完美
- on a roll
顺风顺水；连战连捷
- kill it
表现炸裂；大获成功
Everything marked in this scene
35 notes across 49 lines
liaison
And then hearing all of you for the first time, I -- that blew me away. -That's what I remember.-I just thought everyone was so perfectly cast.much more so than I think we expected it to be.comparative
much more so than I think we expected it to be.weak form
much more so than I think we expected it to be.-We saw approximately a gazillion people.-We saw approximately a gazillion people.future in the past
-There are so many different scenarios where it wasn't going to be these six people.-His hangdog expression stuck with us.past simple
-His hangdog expression stuck with us.So when we started doing Ross, that was in our minds.He's had a miserable experience doing another show.He's moved back to Chicago to just do theater.-I have no recollection of the gift basket.And he -- he came on board.We saw a bunch of women who read Phoebe, and it was nothing.And meanwhile, my husband, Jeffrey, was writing and producing on "Mad About You," and he said,Can I get you anything else? -No, thanks. We're fine.-Okay, I'm just gonna go get your check, then.but on "Mad About You," she had more of an edge.-Lisa was someone who came in and nailed the audition.She not only did everything we'd hoped,she elevated the material.And that was at the beginning, so we thought we were on a roll.And that was at the beginning, so we thought we were on a roll.And then came about two and a half months where we cast no one.Then Matt came in and suddenly on him, the lines felt funny.elision
Then Matt came in and suddenly on him, the lines felt funny.-He hadn't done an awful lot.-So Matt went right down to the wire, auditioned at the network, at NBC with another actor,weak form
-So Matt went right down to the wire, auditioned at the network, at NBC with another actor,and he killed it, and he got the part as Joey.and he killed it, and he got the part as Joey.But the funny thing about it is the other actor ended up in the showHow Friends Cast Its Six, explained
What's really going on
At heart this is a making-of story, not a plot scene: the people who built Friends are explaining how fragile the whole thing was. The casting took far longer than they expected—"about two and a half months where we cast no one"—and even the actor for Ross had to be talked into it after swearing off television. The turning point is physical, not analytical: Matt reads the same script, and suddenly "the lines felt funny." That's the insight the scene offers: lines on a page aren't funny until the right person says them, which is why they kept searching instead of settling.
Theme
DreamsActors chase a breakthrough role, and casting is the gate they have to get through.
MemoryThe creators revisit the long audition process that produced the cast.
Listen for
- blew me away — liaison
- much more so than — weak form
- the lines felt funny — elision
- down to the wire — weak form
Then Matt came in and suddenly on him, the lines felt funny.The same script only worked once the right actor read it.
It would have been such a different show.One different casting choice would have changed the entire series.
And then came about two and a half months where we cast no one.Casting stalled completely for months, testing their patience.
And we had to beg him and beseech him.They had to plead repeatedly to get him to take the role.
Questions about this scene
Why was casting Friends so difficult?
The creators saw a huge number of actors, and there was a stretch of about two and a half months when they cast nobody at all, so finding the right six took far longer than they expected.
Why did they have to persuade David Schwimmer to play Ross?
He had already quit television after a bad experience on another show and had moved back to Chicago to do theater, so the creators kept asking, sent him the script, and promised this time would be different.
What made Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe audition stand out?
She came in and nailed the audition. She did everything the creators hoped for and then elevated the material, so she was cast right after David, while they still thought the show was on a roll.
Why did Matt LeBlanc almost lose the part of Joey?
He had barely been in anything, and the decision went down to the wire. He had to audition at NBC against another actor and only won the role by killing it in that final read.
Who was the other actor Matt LeBlanc auditioned against?
The scene never names him. It only teases that he ended up in the show anyway, so you are left to guess which Friends role he nearly took instead.
Friends: The Reunion · 25 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 9to make a long story shortThe Cast Recalls Their Auditions
Chapter 1get in the wayThe Cast Returns to the Set
Chapter 2in the bagThe Friends Cast Reunites On Stage
Chapter 3stay in touchThe Cast Reunites at the Fountain
Chapter 4that time in your lifeThe Friends Creators Explain the Premise
Chapter 5pet peeveThe Cast Plays a Friends Quiz
Chapter 6has this magicThe Cast Plays Trivia
Chapter 7at the top of their gameThe Cast Revisits the Jellyfish
Watching · Chapter 8down to the wireHow Friends Cast Its Six
Chapter 9to make a long story shortThe Cast Recalls Their Auditions
Chapter 10in the wrong handsCasting the Rest of the Cast
Chapter 11tail between my legsThe Producer Who Predicted Stardom
Chapter 12a completely different ballgameThe Cast on Sudden Fame
Chapter 13had a big hand inFans on What Friends Meant
Chapter 14got you hookedThe Cast Answers Fan Questions
Chapter 15down-to-earthThe Monkey Kept Ruining Takes
Chapter 16cost a fortuneThe Chair Scene Goes Wrong
Chapter 17put our heads togetherThe Sling Written Into the Show
Chapter 18beat you to itHow Monica and Chandler Became a Couple
Chapter 19take something for a spinThe Cast Reenacts Smelly Cat
Chapter 20buy a word of itThe Couch Pivot Scene
Chapter 21keep straight a faceThe Friends Blooper Reel
Chapter 22calls out to meJanice Returns to the Reunion
Chapter 23two ships passingDavid and Jen's Secret Crush
Chapter 24the long arm of the lawWere Ross and Rachel on a Break?
Chapter 25go to piecesSaying Goodbye to FriendsChapter 8 of 25 · about 66 min to go