The series premiere “Friends” turns 30 this Sunday (22). Launched in 1994, the production had, in total, 10 consecutive seasons, with its last episode being shown in May 2004.
Despite having been released in the late 1990s, the series that addresses the experiences of six friends in New York continues to be successful and wins new fans every day.
The main cast is made up of Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), David Schwimmer (Ross), Courteney Cox (Monica), Matt LeBlanc (Joey) and Matthew Perry (Chandler), who passed away in October of last year. See the gallery above for a comparison of the characters in the 1st and 10th seasons of the series.
Courteney Cox, Monica Geller
The American actress and producer starred in “Friends” at the age of 30. During filming, she ended up marrying the actor and producer David Arquette with whom he lived in marriage until 2013.
After the union, the actress adopted her then-husband’s surname and became known as Courteney Cox-Arquette. To celebrate the wedding, the production team paid tribute to her by adding her new surname to the names of all the actors and directors in the opening of season 6, which was a surprise for the actress who played Monica.
A month after the series finale, in June 2004, the actress gave birth to her first child, Coco Arquette, who is now 20 years old and the goddaughter of her co-star Jennifer Aniston. When the final episode aired, the star was about to turn 40.
Matthew Perry, Chandler Bing
The American-Canadian actor and screenwriter was 25 when the pilot for “Friends” aired, and by the time the final episode aired, he was about to turn 35.
His sarcastic role as Chandler Bing earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002. In addition to having been involved in a few relationships, the actor never married, but dated the actress Julia Roberts when she made a guest appearance on the series in 1996, in the 2nd season.
In an interview with CBC in 2022, the actor revealed his drug problem during the filming of the series. “I was taking 55 Vicodins [remédio] a day, I weighed 120 pounds, I was on ‘Friends’ being watched by 30 million people — and that’s why I can’t watch the show, because I was brutally thin.”
Before his death in October 2023, the actor published a memoir “Friends, Loves and That Terrible Thing: The Memoirs of the Star of Friends”, in which he brought controversial revelations about his life.
David Schwimmer, Ross Geller
When he starred in the series, the actor was 27 years old. When he filmed the last scene, he was already 37. During production, he had the opportunity to direct some episodes of “Friends”, such as “The One with the Last Night”, which is part of the 6th season and was released in 1999.
His last direction on “Friends” took place in the final season of the series, with the episode “The One with the Biological Mother”.
His first Emmy nomination came a year after the series premiered. For his role as Ross Geller, he was nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actor, but did not take home the statuette.
Discreet in his personal life, the actor married photographer Zoe Buckmann only in 2010, six years after the end of “Friends”. Together, they had a daughter in 2012, who was named Cleo.
Lisa Kudrow, Phoebe Buffay
The oldest actress among the leads on “Friends” is Lisa Kudrow, who debuted as Phoebe at age 31 and finished the series at almost 41. Like her co-stars, Lisa was romantically involved throughout the production and married advertising executive Michael Stern in 1995, to whom she is still married today.
In 1998, she gave birth to her son, Julian Murray Stern, who is now 26 years old. At the time, she recorded the 4th season pregnant and the production took advantage of her big belly to impregnate her character, however, with triplets.
Just like Jennifer, after two Emmy nominations, the actress finally took home a statuette in 1998, in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Friends”.
Jennifer Aniston, Rachel Green
When she entered Central Perk dressed as a bride in 1994, Jennifer Aniston was 25 years old. In the final scene, where she became emotional as she said goodbye to the series, the actress had already turned 35.
Despite entering the production single, in 2000, when the seventh season premiered, the star got married to the actor Brad Pitt — who even made a special appearance in the 8th season of the series. Although the romance happened, both stars separated in 2005, a year after the end of “Friends”.
After her debut, her character’s haircut became popular. Dubbed “The Rachel,” the iconic 1990s haircut is characterized by voluminous, shoulder-length locks and heavy layers.
For her performance, she received several award nominations and in 2002, she received an Emmy for Best Actress for her role in “Friends”.
Matt LeBlanc, Joey Tribbiani
The actor who plays the womanizer and idiot Joey Tribbiani made his first appearance at the age of 27. His last scene was filmed when Matt was about to turn 37.
Just like his colleagues, the actor also gave in to love while filming the series and in 2003, he married Melissa McKnight, with whom he had Marina Pearl LeBlanc, who was born a few months before the end of “Friends”.
Still in 2004, with the end of production, the actor was the only one to win a spin-off, which ended up being canceled after two seasons. In the title “Artist’s Life” the character leaves New York and goes to Hollywood in an attempt to improve his acting career. He also says goodbye to the time when his friends were his family and gets the chance to turn his family into his friends.
Friends cast imagines what their characters would look like today
This content was originally published in 30 years of “Friends”: compare the characters in the 1st and 10th seasons of the series on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
