With its reunion alone scoring four Emmy nominations, Friends is undoubtedly one of the most successful and beloved TV sitcoms of all time. Following its 1994 debut, the main cast comprised of Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer skyrocketed to international fame. Though some of the cast members were famous before the first season premiered, not one of them was a household name, the way they all are now.
Though that fame brought them comfortable lifestyles, career opportunities, and icon status, it was also a struggle to deal with at times. From demanding schedules to paparazzi, the consequences of fame can be challenging. All the former stars of the show have expressed how grateful they are for the show that changed their lives, but which actor in particular had such a hard time dealing with the fame that came with it, and why? Keep reading to find out.
The Effect Of Fame On His Relationships
One of the things you might not know about Friends is that being one of its stars in its prime was very challenging at times. Since the show wrapped in 2004, David Schwimmer, who starred as palaeontologist Ross Geller on the show, has revealed that he struggled with the fame side of his career success. The main reason why he found it difficult to cope with his newfound stardom was because it negatively affected his relationships.
“It was pretty jarring and it messed with my relationship to other people in a way that took years, I think, for me to adjust to and become comfortable with,” Schwimmer said on the podcast Awards Chatter (via Mental Floss).
The actor went on to explain that being famous made him want to hide under his baseball cap and not be seen, which then made people-watching—something that many actors do to improve their craft—all the more difficult.
People Were Overly Nice To Him
As you might have expected, people began to be overly nice to David Schwimmer once he was a household name on a hit TV show. Many people dream of being famous just so that people will be nice to them, but many stars find this kind of behavior creepy and ingenuine. It makes it difficult to know who your real friends are.
David Schwimmer, who's been up to a lot since the show ended, explained that while it was sometimes “flattering” for people to treat him differently, he mostly found it “very invasive.” This is one of the main reasons why his Friends fame was terrifying and made it difficult for him to trust his friends.
He Felt Typecast By Hollywood
Not only did the fame that came from Friends influence the relationships in David Schwimmer’s life, but it also massively impacted his career. It’s true that the opportunity opened doors for him that most actors would dream about, but it also typecast him.
In an interview with The Guardian (via The List), Schwimmer revealed that all the work he’d done during his stage career was “just eradicated” after he won the role of Ross Geller. “As far as the public was concerned, I came out of the womb doing sitcom.”
Public opinion didn’t stop Schwimmer from pursuing his passion for stage acting, though. He made his West End debut in 2005 and starred on Broadway the following year.
He Hates The Paparazzi
One of the untold truths of David Schwimmer is that he doesn’t have the best relationship with the paparazzi. Even though sometimes he sits back and let them do their thing, his reactions to them do depend on his mood. But he doesn’t have a lot of respect for the overall concept of paparazzi.
“It’s not a real life, it’s a waste of a life,” he said (via The List), going on to describe stalking celebrities just to get pictures of them is “a waste of your existence on this planet.”
Success Didn’t Come Overnight
Some stars struggle with fame because they find success overnight and have no time to process the change. While the success from Friends launched David Schwimmer and the rest of the cast to superstar status almost instantly, his success as an actor didn’t happen overnight.
He studied theater at Northwestern University, where he was wooed by a Hollywood talent agent. Unfortunately, the agent didn’t pull through. After college he waited tables in L.A. while auditioning for guest spots on TV shows, while simultaneously flying back to Chicago to work on different theater productions.
In the early ‘90s, he did earn spots on a few different TV shows, but his big break didn’t come until 1994, when he was cast as Ross Geller.
Schwimmer Wasn’t Alone
David Schwimmer wasn’t the only Friends cast member to struggle with fame. Each of his co-stars have had their own experiences acclimatizing to superstar status, including Matt LeBlanc who played Joey Tribbiani.
“For years and years, I barely left the house. I was burnt out,” he told The Mirror (via Mental Floss). “Most actors call their agents and say, 'What’s going on?'. I’d call mine and say, 'Please lose my number for a few years.' It was a very dark time. I almost had a nervous breakdown."
Ultimately, we know from the Friends reunion that aired in 2021 that the cast did all appreciate the opportunity to be part of such a monumental show, even if they did struggle with some aspects of the fame.
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