Friends cast Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry. Photo / Getty Images
Friends cast Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry. Photo / Getty Images
The director of Friends has slammed one of the 90s sitcom’s regular guest stars, dubbing her “nice. But not funny”.
James Burrow took a brutal swipe at none other than English actress Helen Baxendale, who appeared on the show in season four and five as Ross Geller’s love interest Emily Waltham.
Baxendale featured in 14 episodes of Friends. Her character eventually married Ross, played by David Schwimmer, however the marriage was doomed from the start after he blurted out the name of Rachel Green, portrayed by Jennifer Aniston, at the altar instead of Emily’s.
Burrow reportedly said in his memoir Directed by James Burrow: “She was nice but not particularly funny. Schwimmer had no one to bounce off. It was like clapping with one hand”, according to Daily Mail.
“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.
David Schwimmer as Ross Geller and Helen Baxendale as Emily Waltham. Photo / Getty Images
“Often, you can’t recast, because of tight shooting deadlines or other logistic 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.”
However, because Baxendale was locked in for multiple episodes, the show had to go on.
The actress’s time on Friends came to an end sooner than expected, despite her character marrying one of the leads on the show, due to becoming pregnant and moving back to the UK.
Baxendale's character ended up marrying Ross, played by David Schwimmer, but the marriage ended almost as soon as it began. Photo / Getty Images
However, she revealed that she was “never great mates” with her Friends co-stars.
“People expect because it is called Friends that everyone was great friends, but they were real professionals,” she confessed to the Sunday Mirror in 2012.
“They’d been doing it for years and I was one of many guest stars to appear.”
'The One with All the Haste': Helen Baxendale as Emily Waltham, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller. Photo / Getty Images
She went on to say that she was “proud and delighted” to be a part of the series but it felt like a “strange surreal little blip in my life”.
She admitted to Daily Mail that her experience on the show had been overwhelming because she suddenly became a recognisable face.
“You couldn’t walk down the street to buy a pint of milk. In fact, you couldn’t go anywhere. It was impossible to mix with the crowd, and do what ordinary people do.”
Baxendale went on to say that being famous “didn’t fit in with my life”. The actress revealed that she never regretted going back to England after her time on Friends instead of pursuing more jobs on the screen.
