Nearly 30 years after its premiere on NBC, Friends continues to be a pop culture phenomenon, with its quotable lines, inside jokes and near-constant syndication presence. But despite all of the factors that play into keeping the sitcom relevant so many years later, there’s no way a series could have this kind of longevity without stars that legitimately enjoyed the work they were doing. Courteney Cox spoke about the support she and the other five actors had for each other, and she even quoted a little bit of that infectious theme song.
Courteney Cox, who played Monica Gellar on Friends’ 10 seasons, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 27. In addition to the beloved ‘90s sitcom, the actress has starred in the horror franchise Scream and the ABC series Cougar Town. But it might not all have been possible without the vital lessons she learned on the set of the NBC hit. Cox told Variety:
Friends taught me the importance of camaraderie and really sticking together. These friendships were at the most important time in my life, and we went through so many things together. And it just taught me about being there for each other — I know, that’s the song: ‘I’ll be there for you.’ But it’s true. It was so nice to work with people that could bounce ideas off each other. Everybody wanted the best for everybody. There was no jealousy, it was only, ’Let’s make the best show we can, and let’s support each other in this.’
“Cause you’re there for me tooooooo!”
Courteney Cox, along with her co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, famously stuck together during contract negotiations to ensure they were all paid an equal salary. It’s easy to imagine how such a move was important to keep egos from creeping in (not to mention ensuring they would continue to make a fortune in royalties).
But even more than the money aspect, the six actors went through incredible ups and downs during the decade Friends was on the air. Matthew Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing documented his ongoing struggles with addition — even pointing out how his substance abuse can be tracked by his appearance on the show. That was something Jennifer Aniston had to confront him about.
The other stars went through marriages and breakups, had babies and struggled with fertility, and the six actors had each other to lean on during that time. It really does sound like everything you’d hope for from the cast of a show called Friends.
Courteney Cox made it sound like it was a good working environment, too, where everybody had their colleagues’ best interests in mind. That was surely an important lesson they were all able to take into their projects moving forward.
Speaking of those other projects, Courteney Cox’s newest movie Scream VI is set for release on Friday, March 10. In it, she’ll reprise the notorious Gale Weathers for the sixth time, so be sure to make plans to hit the theater. All 10 seasons of Friends, meanwhile, are available to stream with an HBO Max subscription, and check out some other things to watch if you’re a fan of the Scream star.
