Look, it goes without saying that Ross and Rachel are meant to be (they’re each other’s lobsters, if you will), but for a moment there it looked like Ross was going to end up with Emily on Friends. I mean, they did get married.
But apparently Emily (aka Helen Baxendale) was almost recast thanks to the Friends Powers That Be feeling like she and Ross had so little chemistry their relationship didn’t seem believable.
Director James Burrows revealed this in his memoir Directed By James Burrows. “She was nice, but not particularly funny,” he wrote, via People. “Schwimmer had no one to bounce off. It was like clapping with one hand.”
Um, kinda harsh but okay!
Burrows also noted that “In sitcoms and any type of romantic comedy, the funny is just as important as the chemistry. We discovered that any new girlfriend for Ross needed to be as funny as Rachel.”
The show didn’t end up recasting Emily, obviously, but it definitely sounds like they would have if it weren’t for logistical issues. As Burrows put it, “Often, you can’t recast, because of tight shooting deadlines or other logistical considerations. You need someone who gets laughs. Sometimes you start an arc and it ain’t working out, so you have to get rid of that person. If it’s a day player, it’s a quick goodbye…. If there’s chemistry, the writers go to work to figure out some way of keeping the actor.”
I mean…IMO Emily being less funny than Ross only helped amplify the fact that he belonged to Rachel, so!
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.