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FRIENDS
FOREVER
(Speciální
interview s "přáteli", Entertainment Weekly, březen
2004)
- zatím pouze v angličtině -
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FRIENDS FOREVER
There are countless ways to put the End of FRIENDS in perspective. Here are some of them. No more monkeys, ducks or smelly cats. Adios to Bay-watch worship and We were on a break! Close the book on Ugly Naked Guy and "Who's Gonna Drink the Diet Coke?" ads. Okay, we won't miss that last one. Nevertheless, the May 6 sighn-off of one of the most successful sitcoms ever will be pretty painful for us, and the cast. "I feel I'm looking down at my chest and I have this huge graping hole and i go, Whoa, that's going to take a while to heal" lament Matt LeBlanc. Sums up Lisa Kudrow: "It's like a death". As NBC kicks off its farewell vigil by airing the top six viewers' choice episodes, EW talked to the sextet about their favorites, and some other Friendsly matters. Could we be any more thoughtful?
Courteney Cox Arquette - Monica Geller Bing
Favorite episode: Season 4's ''The One With the Embryos,'' in which the girls take on the boys in a trivia contest: If the girls win, the boys will get rid of their pets, a rooster (formerly the chick) and a duck; if the boys triumph, they claim Monica's pad. ''I learned more about my character and everyone else's because of these trivia questions. One thing that's been a running joke throughout the 10 years was no one really knew what Chandler did for a living and we're all just completely stumped. I screamed at Rachel that Transponster 'is not even a word!'... The times I like playing Monica the most are when she's being competitive, like when she's playing football in the Thanksgiving episode or when she's trying to get George Clooney and Noah Wyle. She kind of has no limits. And the stakes were really high [in 'Embryos'], because to lose the apartment was huge. She was so sure that she'd win that she bet the apartment. Didn't work out so well for her, did it? Not fun. Did not enjoy filming in Joey's apartment.''
Stock quote about saying goodbye: ''It was terrible. It was sad. It was beautiful. When [director-executive producer] Kevin Bright said at the end of the show, like he does at the end of every show, 'Okay, that's our show!' this time he really meant it. My eyes are still swollen.''
Last time you went into a coffeehouse ''Yesterday. I didn't sit down on a couch, but I got a decaf latte with vanilla flavoring to go.''
Worst thing about making a million dollars per episode: ''Nothing... I mean, yeah, you don't want to pay half of it in taxes, but thank God that you get the other half.''
On doing a reunion show: ''What does that mean? Is it a movie-of-the-week? I don't think I could do that. Can you imagine? 'Friends: The Movie of the Week.' No, that's terrible.''
Next Starring in ''November,'' a psychological thriller that debuted at Sundance. Also serves as creator-exec producer of ''Mix It Up,'' a design show on WE.
Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing
Favorite episode: Season 1's ''The One With the Blackout,'' in which Chandler gets stuck in an ATM vestibule with model Jill Goodacre during a power outage; meanwhile, the others swap secrets in Monica's apartment. ''The interesting thing about that episode was I didn't speak much; it was mostly in voice-over. We prerecorded what I said and I had to react. Let's face it: Jill Goodacre is hot, so it wasn't that difficult.... I [remember] spitting my gum out and it stuck to the wall. It was my choice to just stay completely frozen in fear and embarrassment. That was one of those things that the producers loved and it stayed in.... What was great about that night was that I was also able to watch the other three quarters of the show, which was these five great actors doing ensemble work that was amazing. This was the first time I realized, 'Gee, this is really clicking.'''
Stock quote about saying goodbye: ''You know when you're just on the verge of tears? I felt that way for about five hours. It was a combination of a celebration of a job well done for 10 years by all of us and also just a huge sadness that the experience of our lifetime was coming to a close.''
On doing a reunion show: ''Talk to me in 20 years. If I'm on really hard times, maybe I'll be pitching one. But for now, I think you leave it alone.''
Coolest perk ''Getting to work with Sean Penn was amazing. Unfortunately, that entire episode I was dressed as a pink bunny.''
Worst thing about making a million dollars per episode: ''The worst part of it was feeling a little guilty, like, 'Wait a minute, I'm going here to do something I love.'''
Keepsake prop ''There's a cookie jar that has a clock on it that was over the fridge. One time I asked Lisa Kudrow, 'What time is it?' and she looked up at that to tell me the time and we all laughed really hard, so I made arrangements to give it to her.''
If ''I'll Be There for You'' came on the radio, would you listen? ''No, I always very quickly turn that down.''
Last time someone asked if the six of you were all friends ''Yesterday.''
Next Starring in ''The Whole Nine Yards'' sequel, ''The Whole Ten Yards''
Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Green
Favorite episode: Season 8's ''The One Where Rachel Has a Baby (Parts I and II),'' in which Rachel gives birth to Emma, and Joey accidentally proposes to her with Ross' ring. ''Not only was it very powerful for me, it was just funny -- great characters coming in and out of our hospital room. Debi Mazar kept calling her husband a rat b a s t a r d. And then Maggie Wheeler [''Oh…My…Gawd!'' Janice] came in.... It felt like a farce. That's what I love about 'Friends,' those situations of slightly suspended reality. I love when Schwimmer and I have stuff together, it's always dreamy.... The birth was challenging since I've never done it before. I've only watched girlfriends, so I just copied them. It was also hard to play the postpartum sadness: Oh-I-have-a-baby-and-I-don't-have-Ross. I always have a hard time playing as I call them 'saccharine-y' moments of 'Friends.' But I was really happy with how it came out.''
Stock quote about saying goodbye: ''Everyone took as much time as we could throughout the show. Usually we're like, 'Are we going to finish by 8 p.m.? You wanna go do something?' We just kept trying to prolong and [the producers] would come up and say, 'We don't have any notes,' and we were like, 'What? Are you sure? You don't want to do that again?' And then the inevitable last scene arrived and ouch. I don't even know how to say it -- just a big ouch.''
Cryptic finale hint ''One of us leaves.''
On doing a reunion show: ''No, no. Because I think that would cheapen it. Do you remember the 'Brady Bunch' reunion show? You remember the 'Happy Days' reunion show? Were they ever good? Cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap.''
Last time you went into a coffeehouse ''Yesterday, in London.''
Worst thing about making a million dollars per episode: ''If you can think of one, tell me.''
Keepsake prop ''When they broke the coffeehouse down, I called the neon cup of coffee that has steam coming out of it right by the door. That's mine. Don't even think they're going to put that in the Smithsonian.''
Next A dramedy by ''Ocean's Eleven'' screenwriter Ted Griffin
David Schwimmer - Ross Geller
Favorite episode: Season 2's ''The One With the Prom Video,'' in which flashbacks reveal that Monica was living large in high school while a horrendously coiffed Ross had secret feelings for a pre-nose-job Rachel. ''For me it's the whole history, both comedically and emotionally, of the origins of the relationship between Ross and Rachel. Not only did we look completely different as teenagers, visually it was just really funny. But I think doing that as actors freed us up in a way -- in particular, with Courteney wearing the fat suit -- to tap into a part of ourselves that was very vulnerable and shy.... I was initially really resistant to the idea of a 'fro and mustache because I knew I was going to look like Gabe Kaplan in 'Welcome Back, Kotter.' Honestly, in my own real life I felt that goofy and ugly-looking in high school. I just had to trust the writers. All great comedy comes from pain.... One of my favorite lines ever is in that episode. When Monica's really fat in the video, she says, 'Well, the camera adds 10 pounds,' and [Chandler] says, 'So, how many cameras are actually on you?'''
Stock quote about saying goodbye: ''We have kind of a group focus -- a group hug -- before we come out [on stage], and that was really, really tough to know it was the last time we were going to be doing that. The audience gave us a standing ovation before we even started. Everyone just lost it and had to go back into makeup.''
On doing a reunion show: ''I hate the idea of the reunion show, but if it meant I get to revisit the relationships and work with those writers and actors again, then that would be a good thing.''
Cryptic finale hint ''Paris.''
If ''I'll Be There for You'' came on the radio, would you listen? ''If I were alone, maybe. If I was not alone, no.''
Keepsake prop ''When they ripped up the street outside Central Perk, I got a chunk of it. It's in a little case in my library.''
Worst thing about making a million dollars per episode: ''All the questions about how much money we make.''
Next Currently shooting the indie comedy ''Duane Hopwood''
Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay
Favorite episode: Season 5's ''The One Hundredth,'' in which Phoebe gives birth to triplets. ''There's the Ross-Rachel story and Monica-Chandler and Joey-Rachel, but Phoebe usually isn't that instrumental in driving the main story, so it was nice that Phoebe could play such a big part in something as momentous as the 100th episode.... Phoebe had a line, 'I don't see three kids coming out of your girl thingy!' And everyone was like, 'Eh, girl thingy, I don't know, isn't there anything else?' One of the girls is like, 'Well, I say hoo hoo,' and LeBlanc goes, 'What about [insert inappropriate slang here]?' That's awful, but it made me laugh so hard. Then just as a joke, Matthew was like, 'I dare you to say it!' and I said, 'I will!' and he goes, 'You can't say it. There's an audience.' And then Jennifer's like, 'Oh, say it, I'll give you 200 dollars.' There's five of them pledging 200 dollars. And then Matthew was just like, 'You can't just do it.' And I'm like, 'What, am I going to get fired? Uh-uh.' He was, like, panicked. Leading up to it I couldn't get the line out because I kept cracking up. Finally I said it. It was so satisfying because the audience just shrieked. That was one thing that I'm the most proud of because it just took so much nerve.''
Stock quote about saying goodbye: ''I don't know when I've cried that much. Yeah, I can talk to Courteney, Jennifer, Matt, Matthew, and David, but it's still not Monica and Rachel, and Joey, Chandler, and Ross. I just bawled -- just heaved because they're just gone and there's no getting 'em back.''
On doing a reunion show: ''No, I don't think so. I don't know how it could be any good at all.''
Last time you went into a coffeehouse ''Oh, God...10 years. Does Starbucks count? Then it's been like two years.''
Keepsake prop ''All the rings Phoebe ever wore, I've got 'em.''
Worst thing about making a million dollars per episode: ''Here's the worst thing: that we're done.''
Next ''Happy Endings,'' directed by Don Roos (''The Opposite of Sex'')
Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani
Favorite episode: ''The One With the Embryos.'' ''The pace was great. It was really fun to watch characters rely on their history together to succeed. It felt like a complete world. It was like, 'Okay, what was Monica's nickname when she played field hockey?' Right away, Joey knew it: 'Big Fat Goalie.' It was just all this inside character stuff that was fun to be a part of -- maybe because my team won.... I have nothing against the other actors who come in, but when it's just the six of us, those are always the best scenes. And because you don't have to introduce a character -- you don't have to lay any pipeline -- you just get right to the funny.''
Stock quote about saying goodbye: ''I was fortunate enough to be in the last coffeehouse scene ever shot. I remember Matthew Perry coming down, sitting on the couch saying 'Can you write me into the scene?' I leaned over to Lisa and Jennifer, and I said, 'Do you realize this is the last coffeehouse scene?' I probably should have done that afterward, because they both started crying, so everyone had to go get their makeup touched up.... It's the saddest feeling I've ever experienced combined with the most wonderful feeling of accomplishment. It's like a punch in the face with a kiss. Or a kick in the balls with a back rub. It's really weird, I don't know how to describe it.''
Cryptic finale hint ''Is it really the last one? Hmmm...''
On doing a reunion show: ''Yeah, if it was the right set of circumstances and everybody was in.''
Last time someone asked if the six of you were all friends ''The last time I left the house.''
Best perk ''Sat with Bill Clinton for about an hour in the Oval Office with my mother and fiancée. That was kind of cool.''
Worst thing about making a million dollars per episode: ''When you sign the tax thing. You look at that number and you go, 'Jesus. Really? I think there's a typo here. The decimal point is clearly in the wrong place.'''
Next Starring this fall in NBC's ''Friends'' spin-off, ''Joey''.
Copyright EntertainmentWeekly.com
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