Friends became a trailblazing sitcom. Everything they did was so different. The show didn't hesitate to change lines on the fly, it was all about the crowd's reaction to certain moments. Heck, Ross' 'I take thee Rachel' line turned out to be a mistake from the actor and later, it inspired one of the most iconic moments in the show's history.
The fans were just as passionate, loving the six members of the cast. However, it almost took a bad twist, with Warner Bros almost taking out two of the original cast members.
We'll take a look at why the situation went down, and how it was all resolved. In addition, we'll take a look at a certain main cast member that almost left the sitcom during season 3. Thanks to a talking from Matt LeBlanc, she decided to stay on the show, a decision all fans can agree was the correct one.
Jennifer Aniston Was Unsure About Her Future When Friends Came To An End
Friends coming to an end was hard for the cast, and this was especially true for Jennifer Aniston who was going through her own struggles at the time behind the scenes.
Even during the reunion, Aniston didn't realize that all those emotions would come rushing back.
She told The Hollywood Reporter, "I hadn’t thought about what was going on the last time I was actually here.” And it just took me by surprise because it was like, “Hi, past, remember me? Remember how that sucked? You thought everything was in front of you and life was going to be just gorgeous and then you went through maybe the hardest time in your life?”
Aniston also stated that her future was unsure at the time, both in terms of career and personal life.
"It was more personal stuff that I had expectations about that sort of shape-shifted, so to speak. That was what was jarring, that we all had an idea of what the future was going to be, and we were going to go hunker down and focus on this or that and then it all just changed overnight, and that was it."
Aniston turned out to be just fine, and she is satisfied with the way everything turned out.
Warner Brothers Threatened To Release Two Members Of The Main Cast Following The Salary Request Made By The Six
At the time, it was unheard of. A main cast on a sitcom making $1 million each per episode. The idea was inspired by David Schwimmer, who encouraged his castmates to band together during negotiations. Schwimmer wanted the entire six to get paid as equals and at a premium given the success of the show.
Although the cast got the number they were looking for, things weren't exactly smooth behind the scenes. According to Aniston, Warner Bros. threatened to fire two cast members as a way to cut costs.
Aniston stated, "We really did have so much fun together. I remember that was one of the things when we were young and dumb and renegotiating, one of the [studio’s] threats was, “Well, we don’t need all six of you. We can do this with four of you."
Aniston recalls the cast calling their bluff upon realization that the show could not continue on without all six.
"We were like, “What? You can? You can get rid of Rachel or Joey or who?” Then it was like, “No they can’t, wake up.”
Friends could have looked drastically different but ultimately, fans are thankful the cast stuck to it.
Matt LeBlanc Talked Lisa Kudrow Out Of Quitting Friends During Season 3
We can't imagine Friends without any of the main six. However, during season 3, this came close to becoming a reality. Lisa Kudrow struggled behind the scenes, particularly with confidence issues.
Kudrow felt as though she wasn't portraying Phoebe to the best of her abilities. It would all change after a conversation with Matt LeBlanc.
"I said, 'I can't, I don't think I have it, I mean, I don't know what I'm doing,'" Kudrow recalled. "And he went, 'You're her, relax, you got it. You've been doing this character for three years. You're working too hard. That's your problem. You don't need to work this hard. Relax.' And he was right."
LeBlanc's pep talk clearly worked, as Kudrow took home an Emmy for the following season.