After 17 years, back in the studio of "Friends", producer David Crane confessed that he was a little uneasy - before going to his friends, he said to his friends that it felt like attending a high school reunion, and the friend enviously said: "Yes, but how beautiful your 'high school days' are." ”
Like this friend, countless people envy and miss "Friends" and envy the ten years that these six friends have traveled together. Therefore, on May 27, "Friends: Reunion Special" landed on HBO Max and was jointly launched on the three major platforms of iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video in China, and when it was simultaneously broadcast in China and the United States, it triggered a wave of nostalgia.
When the fountain, Monica's living room, the Central Park café and other familiar scenes appeared, when the theme song of "Friends" "I'll Be There For You" sounded, the bullet screen was quickly brushed, and fans cried and laughed. According to statistics, on the day of the broadcast on May 27, relevant hot words such as "Friends" and "Why Do We Love Friends" on the domestic network appeared on Weibo hot searches, and the number of readers of Weibo"-related topics reached 1.23 billion. "Friends: Reunion Special" on Douban has more than 24,000 ratings, with a rating of 9.5 points. Globally, Friends: Reunion Special has been viewed more than 100 billion times on various streaming platforms!
"Friends" is still broadcast around the world, and fans have also extended to the post-90s and post-00s, no matter how old the audience is, "Friends" seems to be able to make the audience resonate deeply, because the topics of youth, love, friendship, and self are common themes of human beings, and there will be no estrangement due to time, distance, race, etc.
No matter how things change, people need friendship, they need to be supported and healed, so the story of Friends will never go out of style.
Everybody Loves Friends
"Friends" can be called a "divine drama", from its beginning in 1994 to its end in 2004, a total of 10 seasons and 236 episodes, broadcast in more than 220 regions around the world, and won the TV comedy ratings for six consecutive quarters, with an average of 25 million viewers per week. When "Friends" finally returned on May 6, 2004, more than 52 million viewers watched it, and everyone was sad and tearful, and they were helpless to end this 10-year story.
Since then, "Friends" has been repeated on television. In 2015, when the rights to the show were rented to the streaming platform Netflix, it was deliberately remade, not only the picture quality became high-definition, but also added a lot of abridged clips, bringing huge traffic to Netflix. Later, in order to support the launch of its own streaming media HBO Max and attract more new users, Warner withdrew the copyright of "Friends".
Since the end of "Friends" in 2004, the six leading actors have not publicly "merged", but even if the occasional contact between several friends is exposed, it will quickly trigger a warm response from fans. At the end of 2019, when Jennifer Aniston was on social media, she posted a group photo of six people that was viewed more than 100 billion times.
For 17 years, calls for a "Friends" reunion have been ongoing. "Reunion of Old Friends" was originally scheduled for May 2020, but filming was delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and finally met the audience at Warner Bros. Studios in California in April, where the classic series was filmed. Matthew Perry (Chandler), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Courtney Cox (Monica), Lisa Cudjoll (Phoebe), Matt LeBron (Joey), and David Thumon (Rose) finally got together. Although there are traces of age on his face, and Joey's figure has been blessed to "feel that the room has become smaller", but the mouth of several people, their interaction, and Lisa Kudrow's reaction to "seconds to phoebe" after hearing about bugs, etc., make people feel that youth flashes back and sighs.
Friends: Reunion Special replicates scenes from that year, including the fountain that appears at the beginning of the film. Interestingly, the opening scene of "Friends", accompanied by the theme song "I Will Be with You" sung by the Rembrandt band, the starring actors playing at the fountain, sometimes holding umbrellas and sometimes dancing together, was not filmed outdoors in New York, the fountain was actually installed in the studio, and this scene was filmed at 4 o'clock in the morning.
The years of "friends are family"
"Friends" is the story of six friends, and behind the scenes is also the sincere cooperation of three friends. Friends producers Marta Kaufman and David Klein and executive producer/director Kevin Bright are college classmates who all live in New York after graduation. In 1993, the trio formed the "Bright & Kaufman & Klein" film and television company, planning to co-produce a comedy with Warner Bros. David Klein recalls, "We lived in New York in our twenties, we had a close group of friends, and everyone thought that the experience could be made into a TV series. Marta Kaufman said: "In our twenties, we work hard and look for true love. We draw inspiration from friends and family, for example, Chandler in Friends is named after my friend. ”
At that time, NBC television was preparing to make a TV series for a young man in his twenties to enter the society, and David, Marta and Kevin sent a seven-page script to NBC, and finally had the drama "Friends". In Friends: Reunion Special, David says, "We wanted to create a real group show, not a story of a protagonist and a group of friends. The point is on this group of friends, and each person's story is evenly inked. A one-sentence overview of the play is the years of 'friends are family'. ”
Because it is a group play, the selection of the six actors can be described as painstaking, and the sequence of the six characters in the play is: Rose, Phoebe, Joey, Monica, Chandler, and Rachel.
David Thumon's role in Rose was the consensus of the three producers, and even when they portrayed Rose's character, they had david in mind. Unexpectedly, when I approached David Humon, Xiumeng had moved back to Chicago because one of the TV series he had starred in before was not pleasant, and decided to quit the TV circle and only acted in the theater. David Klein approached him and pleaded with him, "This character is written for you." And assure him that this time must be different, which makes David Humon finally agree to perform.
In order to find Phoebe, the crew interviewed a lot of people, but they were not ideal. Lisa Cudjo was later mentioned because her role as Ursula Ursula, the restaurateur in Crazy for You, had a Phoebe feel, and sure enough, Lisa Kudrow's interview was a huge success, with Marta Kaufman praising: "Lisa performed perfectly. She not only lived up to our expectations, but also sublimated the material. ”
The third set was Matt LeBron, who plays Joey, and Marta Kaufman laughed and said, "When he came to audition, he only had $11 or $9 in his pocket, which was very little. Matt LeBron revealed that he went to drink with friends the night before the last audition, only to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, his nose hit the toilet, and he went to the audition with a big and ugly scab, and the producer asked him what was wrong, and after learning about his troubles, he successfully won the role, because everyone thought that his injury itself was very much like what Joey could do.
Cotney Cox, who plays Monica in the play, originally wanted her to play Rachel, but Courtney thought that her personality was suitable for Playing Monica, and finally got her wish.
Chandler's cast also went through a long audition to finally select Matthew Perry. David Klein said: "I thought the most ridiculous Chandler was the easiest candidate to find, and as a result, one actor after another, it was all not funny. Eventually we locked in Matthew Perry, who interpreted lines energetically and was able to turn them into his own style, as well as a lot of comedic acting skills. ”
The hardest of the six roles to find is Rachel's actor, because Rachel's character is not pleasing, she is spoiled by the family, very selfish, self-centered, the actor is not well chosen, the role will be hated by the audience. In the end, Jennifer Aniston took the role. Kevin Bright said: "Jennifer has the qualities of enthusiasm, sincerity, and non-hypocrisy, and she can make people accept the ridiculous things Rachel does. ”
In his book The Friends' Generation by American pop culture historian Saul Austerlitz, it was revealed that in order to play Rachel, Aniston had to lose weight, even though "Jennifer Aniston wasn't fat, everyone could see she was beautiful, but the camera gave her 10 pounds." In the end, Aniston took the role of Rachel after losing 30 pounds. Aniston had other dramas in the show at the time, and there was some conflict in the schedule, so she went to the producer of that show and asked for permission, "I've filmed a lot of stillbirth pilot dramas, which doesn't matter, but I went to shoot "Friends", and I felt very happy working with five other actors, and I hope to shoot it." The producer said to me, 'I've seen your pilot show, you won't be popular, let's play us.' ’”
After the six actors were determined, the writers of "Friends" began a new round of processing, they re-created the story framework according to the characteristics of the six people themselves.
On September 22, 1994, "Friends" produced by Warner Bros. was broadcast on NBC television in the United States, a comedy without big stars and fierce dramatic conflicts, and actually became famous in one fell swoop.
In the first season of "Friends", the stars were paid $22,500 per episode, but by the 9th and 10th seasons, their single episodes had reached a million dollars. What the actors and their agents did not expect was that the special royalty agreement they signed that year could still bring them a joint income of $20 million per year.
Chandler and Monica were matched by the audience
Ross and Rachel are in love because of the drama
"Oh CP" (network vocabulary: refers to the audience's keen to guess the emotional line of the characters in the play) is now a big hobby of fans, interestingly, the fans of "Friends" will also "snort CP". The creators will adjust the plot according to the audience feedback, like Chandler and Monica, the two did not come together in the original script, and it was the audience that contributed to this marriage.
At the end of Season 4, Monica and Chandler had a one-night stand at Rose and Emily's london wedding. This "one-night stand" gradually developed into a romance, and also brought a series of funny events, and finally the two got married, which is a very successful emotional line. Marta Kaufman revealed that in the one-night stand episode, the audience had been screaming and applauding, and the response was fierce, and the choreographers decided to rewrite the script to keep the two together. Courtney Cox said that she liked the episode in "Friends" in which Monica proposed to Chandler, "It seems that 1,000 candles are lit in the room, and she is on one knee and sobbing uncontrollably, this scene is very important to me, and a lot of emotion is poured into the performance." 」 ”
Interestingly, in the beginning of "Friends", the main line of the couple envisioned is actually Monica and Joey, and the chemical reaction between David Humon and Aniston makes Rose and Rachel the main love scene in the whole show.
In "Friends: Reunion Special", David Humon and Aniston admit that the "love affair" of that year - the classic first kiss between the two in the café is a true outpouring, David Thumon confessed that the two had a good feeling for each other, "but we are like two staggered boats, we have always taken turns to have partners, so we have not crossed the line, respect each other..." Jennifer Aniston also said: "We transferred our appreciation and admiration for each other to Rose and Rachel." ”
Referring to the relationship at that time, director Kevin Bright laughed and said: "This was a hot topic on the set that year, the chemistry of the two of them was too obvious, many people were aware of it, but everyone was talking in private, 'God, this is not acting, there is definitely something between the two of them.' But like a lot of things, you look forward to it for a long time, but in the end it doesn't happen. Perhaps, the reunion ending will only appear in the TV series. ”
Marta Kaufman also said: "The two of them obviously have a crush on each other. But I never asked. I think they unconsciously injected the affection between the two into Rose and Rachel, making the emotional lines of the two characters more moving. ”
Help Matthew rehabilitate
Be with each other in reality
Phoebe has a line in "Friends": "Boyfriend and girlfriend come and go, but friends are lifelong." "In life, so do they. The six of them formed a deep friendship during the ten years of filming. They signed a collective pay contract with the producers, and together they helped Matthew Perry, who played Chandler, rehabilitate himself and supported each other.
Matthew's parents divorced at an early age, and he began playing tennis at the age of 4, once ranking 17th in the world for junior tennis. In 1997, Matthew suffered an accident and became addicted to the powerful painkiller Vicotin at the behest of his doctor. Under pressure, his alcoholism began to get worse. In 1997, Matthew underwent a 28-day detoxification treatment. In 2001, Matthew attended his second detoxification treatment. During two rehabs, Matthew developed acute pancreatitis due to alcohol and substance abuse, was hospitalized for two weeks, and lost 20 pounds.
In an interview with the BBC in the United Kingdom, Matthew admitted that he no longer remembered the days from Seasons 3 to 6 of "Friends". In 2013, Matthew donated all four bedrooms of his Malibu house to help people seeking "12 steps to abstinence" and "meditation classes." Due to the high cost of operation and maintenance of the Malibu Seaview House, Matthew finally had to sell the property in 2015 for $10.65 million.
Because of Matthew's alcohol and drug addiction, the crew has repeatedly discussed firing him, but the other five actors have always supported Matthew, and they have urged Matthew to quit drugs and spend difficult times with him.
In "Friends", Rachel hugs Monica and says, "Without you, this decade of happiness cannot be discussed." In real life, the two actors Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox also became close friends because of "Friends", which became a big story in Hollywood, Andtney once revealed that in the ten years of filming "Friends", the two had lunch together every day, "We always eat the same dish - Cob Salad, but it is not an authentic Cob Salad, Aniston innovated with turkey bacon, chickpeas and other ingredients I don't know, although the method is single, but it is very delicious." 」 Because a salad that makes you eat for ten years without changing, it must be a good dish, right? ”
Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox were each other's bridesmaids, and Aniston was also the godmother of Coatney's daughter. After Aniston and Brad Pitt divorced and broke up with boyfriends like John Mayer and Bradley Cooper, Courtney was her staunchest supporter. On Aniston's birthday the year after her divorce from Pitt, Courtney bought a full-page ad with a line: "Happy birthday to you, happy forever." You deserve better. Aniston was grateful for this friendship: "My ups and downs of life, she has accompanied me through." ”
And Courtney ended her 11-year marriage with her husband in 2010, and Jennifer Aniston accompanied her through this low ebb. Courtney said gratefully, "Jennifer has always been a very perfect person, and you need such a good friend." ”
Friends won't be rebooted
Because I don't want to disrupt the happy ending that has already been
When I returned to the set after 17 years, I saw a familiar scene and the six leading actors were overwhelmed. The host asked what they had taken from the set at the end of the episode? Jennifer Aniston, who plays Rachel, said she took away one of Monica's dresses, "I still keep it and wear it until now." Lisa Cudjo, who plays Phoebe, said she took away the ring and security badge that Phoebe often wears, and this time, she wears them to the Friends reunion. Matthew Perry, who plays Chandler, takes a cookie jar lid printed with a clock face from Monica's apartment and gives it as a gift to Phoebe "because she always thought it was a real clock" Matt LeBron, who plays Joey, took a "I Love Friends" license plate and put it on the car of David Hummon, who played Rose, "and it took him a week to find out." David took a small "Professor Geller" name tag from Ross's museum office and walked along a couch.
According to Variety, in order to invite six people to the "Friends: Reunion Special", each actor will be paid at least $2.5 million. Despite the temptation of high film remuneration, the creators have a refusal attitude towards the continuation of "Friends".
Courtney Cox said that "Friends: Reunion Special" is the last time the six people will be publicly reunited about the show, there will be no more interviews after 15 years, there will be no more film versions, and of course, their personal feelings will not stop.
David Klein also said that the reboot was unlikely, "We ended the series the way we wanted, and I'm not interested in rebooting." For this reunion special, I was actually a little worried before, afraid that the effect would not be good. For me, the end of the series is the end of the series, and I have never fantasized about the future life of the characters, but I believe that each of them is happy. That's why I've been refusing to restart. Rebooting means that continuing to tell the story of these six people necessarily requires conflict, and I don't want to see them divorced in one episode, or even worse, where the six people gather again at the Central Cafe to attend someone's funeral. "Friends" is over, let's let everyone end here happily. ”
Kevin Bright also said that he was not optimistic about restarting "Friends": "We don't want to see this series become a symbolic brand, and we don't want to strip the story to their next generation." ”
It is better to restart than to revisit. As long as you need, "Friends" will always be with you, as the theme song sings: "No one said that life will be like this, doing unproductive work and no money, love is always stillborn, life seems to be stuck in the second gear, every day, week, month, or even every year, it will not go well, but I will accompany you, because you have also been with me..."
Text/Reporter Zhang Jia Courtesy photo/Yida