Ian McKellen Grills Jennifer Aniston on ‘Friends’ Trivia, but It’s Julie Andrews Who Knows the Show Best

Ryan Lattanzio

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British talk show host Graham Norton, ever the master of assembling celebrities who wouldn’t otherwise be in the same room and then plying them with wine, most recently assigned Ian McKellen to the task of quizzing Jennifer Aniston on just how well she knows her iconic “Friends” character, Rachel. However, it turns out that Julie Andrews is the savviest of “Friends” experts, and she was joined on “The Graham Norton Show” by Reese Witherspoon to relive Rachel’s best moments. In the clip below, Aniston reminisces about Rachel’s notoriously awful cooking — “if it says boil two cups of salt, you boil two cups of salt!” — and Andrews has a keen memory of Rachel and Ross (David Schwimmer) going on their infamous “break.”

Aniston and Witherspoon currently headline the Apple TV+ flagship series “The Morning Show,” which is being beaten against the rocks by critics. (Despite “The Leftovers” alum Mimi Leder heading up direction on the series, it fell flat for IndieWire’s Ben Travers as well.) The series is inspired by CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter’s 2013 book “Top of the Morning,” which explored the morning show rivalry between NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

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The series is written by Kerry Ehrin of “Bates Motel” and directed by “Leftovers” and “On the Basis of Sex” helmer Leder, both of whom also serve as executive producers on the new show. “The Morning Show” marks the return of both Carell to television, where he established himself with the comedy series “The Office,” and Aniston, made immortal by “Friends.”

This is surely the most high-profile series of Apple TV+’s recent bow, with other shows including the post-apocalyptic drama “See” from Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) and starring Jason Momoa, and the Hailee Steinfeld-led “Dickinson,” about the reclusive poet. Pro tip — if you have the latest iPhone, Apple will offer you its streaming service free of charge for a year. Otherwise, it’s set at a cool $4.99 per month.

Dame Julie Andrews, meanwhile, is set to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award next year, and is currently in production on the period series “Bridgerton.” Most recently, she lent her voice to 2018’s “Aquaman.”

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