Summary
- The chemistry between the Friends cast, the love story between Chandler and Monica, and the debate about Ross and Rachel's breakup set the show apart from other sitcoms.
- The main Friends cast, including Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, marked their first major roles on the show and have since remained prominent figures in Hollywood.
- Matthew Perry's recent work includes writing a memoir about his journey toward sobriety, while Lisa Kudrow has continued with comedy roles but will explore other genres, such as horror, in upcoming projects.
The main Friends cast may not have become the icons that they are today had they not starred in one of the defining sitcoms of the '90s. The show tells the everyday stories of six good friends in their twenties who live in New York City and talk about their problems in their apartments and favorite coffee shop, Central Perk, and its legacy continued with a 2021 HBO Max reunion Friends special. While many other TV comedies have attempted to emulate the premise of the series, the chemistry between the Friends cast, the love story between Chandler and Monica, and the debate about Ross and Rachel's breakup set it apart.
Friends marked the first major roles for many of the castmates. Matthew Perry's failed pilot LAX 2194 aired in 1994 before he found success as the self-deprecating Chandler Bing, and Jennifer Aniston was best known for the 1993 horror film Leprechaun prior to her role as the bubbly Rachel Green. Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Courteney Cox were all unknowns before Friends made them household names. Since the show's finale, the cast has remained prominent figures in Hollywood. Their work in film and TV is expansive and has seen the Friends cast appear in a number of notable projects.
Jennifer Aniston As Rachel Green
Jennifer Aniston's Friends character Rachel Green is a waitress turned fashion buyer who will always be best remembered for her on-again, off-again relationship with Ross. Rather than simply continuing to play cheerful characters as she did in the Friends cast, Aniston starred in a mix of comedies and dramas. She notably played Alex Levy in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, which won the actress a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance. And in 2023, she reprised her role as Audrey Spitz in the Netflix sequel Murder Mystery 2, again opposite Adam Sandler.
Aniston, now 54, is also set to star as real-life Miss USA contestant turned sports manager Denise White in Michelle MacLaren's feature directorial debut, Hail Mary. This project continues Aniston's tradition of portraying successful, hard-working characters. In the Friends series finale, the Friends cast goes their separate ways, but it's suggested that Rachel and Ross will settle down together. Aniston is attached to star in an untitled movie written and directed by Sophie Goodhart about parents living in the suburbs who want to feel young and free again. It's possible to imagine Aniston's character in the movie will deal with the same emotions as Rachel would presumably be going through today.
Courteney Cox As Monica Geller
The most high-strung character in the Friends cast, Courteney Cox's Monica Geller is an endearing chef who loves keeping her apartment clean, and her romance with Chandler is both moving and humorous. From 2009 to 2015, Cox starred in another sitcom, Cougar Town, as Jules Cobbs, a woman who shares Monica's strong work ethic but is more free-spirited and chaotic. During her time on Friends, Cox made her debut as reporter Gale Weathers in the 1995 horror movie Scream. The actor has continued the role in multiple sequels since then, including 2023's Scream 6. Gale doesn't share much in common with Monica, which only proves Cox's dramatic range across different genres.
Continuing to work in horror, Cox, who is 59 years old, currently stars in the supernatural TV series Shining Vale, which she also produces, and has been renewed for season 2. Despite being a comedic show, it also deals with mental health, and Cox's role as Pat Phelps is much more serious than Monica, who was known for her light-hearted antics with the Friends cast. Cox is also set to also play academic advisor Brittany Wagner in Last Chance U, adapted from the Netflix documentary series about community college football. This role shares much in common with Monica, who works hard at everything and doesn't shy away from a challenge.
David Schwimmer As Ross Geller
In the Friends cast, David Schwimmer's Ross Geller is a nerdy paleontologist whose on-again, off-again romance with Rachel defines his arc — as does Ross' pet monkey Marcel. The actor has moved between comedy and drama, within theater, film, and TV. While none of the Friends cast members have played characters that are overwhelmingly similar to their most famous roles, at 56, Schwimmer's resume is perhaps the most diverse. The actor's most notable characters from the past decade are very different from Ross. Although, the actor's choice of serious roles does echo his Friends character's practical and often somber personality.
Schwimmer received acclaim for playing O.J. Simpson's defense attorney Robert Kardashian in season 1 of American Crime Story in 2016, yet his turn as Jerry Bernstein in the 2020 spy series Intelligence wasn't a hit with critics. Schwimmer also returned to his sitcom roots and played Noah Broader in the 2018 reboot of the 1990s sitcom Will and Grace. But the actor's next project delves into big ideas and philosophical questions. Little Death, which is now in production, is about two people dealing with drug addictions who rob a TV writer's home, and the crime is the catalyst for discussions about life and death.
Matthew Perry As Chandler Bing
Matthew Perry will always be known as the self-deprecating Chandler Bing, who settles down with Monica and has a pet chick and duck with his roommate, Joey. Despite being largely known as the funniest character in the main Friends cast, Perry hasn't acted in several years. Like Schwimmer, his past roles include a mix of drama and comedy. While his 2000 comedy The Whole Nine Yards was a hit, the 2004 sequel, The Whole Ten Yards, was panned. Perry also acted alongside his Friends co-stars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow, guest-appearing on their respective sitcoms Cougar Town and Web Therapy.
In 2017, Perry returned to sitcoms and also branched out into drama, the latter including a portrayal of Ted Kennedy in The Kennedys After Camelot. The actor also co-created, co-wrote, executive produced, and starred in the 2011 sitcom Mr. Sunshine. Outside of Friends, Perry is currently best known for writing his 2022 memoir about his challenging journey toward sobriety, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. In the book, he included many anecdotes about filming with the Friends cast, such as how he and his childhood friends inspired Chandler's popular way of speaking. Perry, now 53, doesn't have any upcoming roles but continues to promote his raw and vulnerable book, which is a New York Times bestseller.
Matt LeBlanc As Joey Tribbiani
The goofiest of the Friends cast, Matt LeBlanc's Joey Tribbiani is a handsome but dopey soap actor who gets by on sheer charisma and little else. While LeBlanc's co-stars have explored other genres, he has stuck to sitcoms. Shortly after Friends ended, LeBlanc starred in his character's spinoff, Joey, which aired for two seasons from 2004 to 2006 and received negative reviews. However, from 2011 to 2017, LeBlanc played a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes, in which his character starred in the unrecognizable American reboot of a British sitcom. Drawing from his own experiences, Matt LeBlanc's satirical portrayal of a spoiled Hollywood A-lister resulted in another memorable sitcom character for the actor.
LeBlanc's most recent role was protagonist Adam Burns on the family sitcom Man with a Plan, which ran from 2016 to 2020. It marked a departure from Joey, who was the only member of the Friends cast to remain single by the series finale, and whose casual dating approach is defined by his catchphrase "How you doin'?" Unlike Joey, Adam is a married father of three. However, the character does share some of Joey's goofy personality traits and often struggles to understand the people around him, which is where the typical sitcom humor comes from. LeBlanc, now 56, hasn't acted since then, and in 2022, he said, "I'm taking some time off right now" (via OK!).
Lisa Kudrow As Phoebe Buffay
The wildcard of the Friends cast, Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe Buffay is remembered for her "Smelly Cat" song and for the season 5 storyline when she becomes a surrogate mother of triplets for her half-brother and his wife. Since Friends, Kudrow has mostly continued with comedy, starring as sitcom actress Valerie Cherish in The Comeback, which aired in 2005 and 2014, and therapist Fiona Wallice in the 2008-2014 series Web Therapy. These roles are comparable as all three characters are socially awkward and have no filters. Kudrow's recent movie roles include Charmaine Antsler in the 2019 comedy Booksmart and the hilarious Dean Gladstone in 2014's Neighbors and its sequel, 2016's Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. Kudrow also has a supporting role as Aunt Heidi in the Hulu musical, Better Nate Than Ever from 2022.
In the past few years, Kudrow's best roles have been on TV, including Maggie Naird in Space Force and the voice of Honey and Lady Capulet in the animated sitcom HouseBroken. Next, the actor will move away from comedy. Kudrow, who is 60, will play the narrator in the TV movie Bright Futures and appear in the TV adaptation of the Terry Gilliam movie Time Bandits. The actor will also star alongside Brian Cox, Parker Posey and Edie Falco in the horror-comedy movie The Parenting about a family finding a ghost. It will be compelling to see Kudrow explore other genres, particularly horror, as this is a departure from the goofy Phoebe on the Friends cast.