‘Friends’ Almost Recast Emily Role Over Lack of Chemistry With David Schwimmer
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The character of Emily was a major hurdle for Ross and Rachel’s relationship on Friends, but she was also apparently a challenge for the producers. James Burrows, who directed numerous episodes of the hit series, wrote in his new memoir that actress Helen Baxendale and cast member David Schwimmer struggled with chemistry.
“She was nice, but not particularly funny,” Burrows wrote in Directed by James Burrows, out now. “Schwimmer had no one to bounce off. It was like clapping with one hand.”
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He continued, “In sitcoms and any type of romantic comedy, the funny is just as important as the chemistry. We discovered that any new girlfriend for Ross needed to be as funny as Rachel.”
The director added that the show could have opted to recast Emily, but wrote that often “you can’t recast” because of “tight shooting deadlines or other logistical considerations.”
“You need someone who gets laughs,” he wrote. “Sometimes you start an arc and it ain’t working out, so you have to get rid of that person. If it’s a day player, it’s a quick goodbye. The reverse is also true. If there’s chemistry, the writers go to work to figure out some way of keeping the actor.”
Baxendale played Emily for 14 episodes across seasons four and five of Friends. The character ultimately married Ross, who then said the wrong name at the alter when he called out Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel. The marriage didn’t last long and Emily soon left the series. As it turned out, that timing was right for Baxendale, who was pregnant at the time.
In 2012, the actress told The Daily Mail she didn’t regret departing Friends earlier than anticipated due to her pregnancy.
“I had a little glimpse of what fame holds, and I decided it held a load of nothing,” she said. “It contained nothing that mattered. Some people can deal with that well; it sits on their shoulders fine. But it wasn’t for me. Friends was great fun, but I was just there so they could make some funny jokes about England. And I was also expecting, and you have to be thin out in America.”
In 2021, the Friends cast reunited for an HBO Max special, which featured the six stars reminiscing about their time on the show. It also included numerous special guests, including David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon, and Malala Yousafzai.
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