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The creator of Friends has apologised for a lack of diversity on the hit sitcom, admitting that she would make ‘very different decisions’ now. ‘I wish I knew then what I know today,’ Marta Kauffman told the ATX TV Festival - held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic - when she was asked what she wished she knew when she started out in the industry. ‘Sorry, I just wish I knew then what I know now. I would've made very different decisions.’
Despite the show’s continued popularity - even though the last show aired in 2004 - she added that this has been a recent realisation for her. ‘I mean we've always encouraged people of diversity in our company,’ she said, ‘but I didn't do enough and now all I can think about is what can I do? What can I do differently? How can I run my show in a new way? And that's something I not only wish I knew when I started showrunning, but I wish I knew all the way up through last year.’
It isn’t the first time those involved on the show have spoken about the sitcom's lack of diversity. Lisa Kudrow - aka Phoebe - recently told The Sunday Times there wouldn’t be an ‘all-white cast’ if it was remade today.
Meanwhile David Schwimmer said earlier this year he was aware of the problem of time and campaigned for his character Ross to date ‘women of colour’.‘Maybe there should be an all-black Friends or an all-Asian Friends,’ he told the Guardian. ‘But I was well aware of the lack of diversity and I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of colour. One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian American woman, and later I dated African American women. That was a very conscious push on my part.’
The cast of Friends were set to reunite for an unscripted episode, but that has been pushed back indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: The Cast Of Friends: Then And Now
Friends Cast: Then and Now
1 of 22Then
James Michael Taylor as Gunther, the barista holding a torch for Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green. Taylor was the show's most frequent guest star, appearing in 148 out of 236 Friends' episodes.
2 of 22Now
James - aka Gunther - made a super short appearance in the Friends reunion - without his trademark blonde hair!
3 of 22Then
Cole Sprouse, as Ross and Carol Willick's son, Ben.
4 of 22Now
Since starring on Friends, Sprouse acted alongside his twin brother, Dylan, on Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and its spinoff The Suite Life on Deck. Most recently, Sprouse has starred as Jughead Jones on teen drama Riverdale.
5 of 22Then
Twins Noelle and Cali Sheldon played Ross and Rachel's daughter, Emma.
6 of 22Now
According to IMBD, both twins have appeared in shorts over the years, but their biggest role to date was in horror film Us last year.
7 of 22Then
Giovanni Ribisi as Phoebe's half-brother, Frank Buffay, Jr.
8 of 22Now
Ribisi is best known for starring in TV series Sneaky Pete. He has also appeared in the films Saving Private Ryan, Avatar, A Million Ways to Die in the West and Ted.
9 of 22Then
Maggie Wheeler played Janice, a recurring character who was Chandler's long-time on-off girlfriend.
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10 of 22Now
Wheeler is best known for her role as Janice, but has since starred in Everybody Loves Raymond. She also made an appearance in the Friends reunion, looking almost exactly the same!
11 of 22Then
Little-known actress Jennifer Aniston played Rachel Green.
12 of 22Now
One of Grazia's favourite people, Aniston has gone on to have a very successful acting career, starring in films like Just Go With It, Rumor Has It, and The Break-Up. Most recently, Aniston starred in brand new AppleTV show The Morning Show alongside long-time friend and former on-screen sister, Reese Witherspoon, for which she won a SAG Award.
13 of 22Then
David Schwimmer as Ross Geller.
14 of 22Now
In 2016, Schwimmer appeared in the American Crime Story series about the assassination of Gianni Versace. In early 2019, he had to prove his innocence to Blackpool Police after a lookalike thief was caught on CCTV and he made an appearance at this year's National Television Awards.
15 of 22Then
Courteney Cox as Monica Geller.
16 of 22Now
Since starring in Friends, Cox has had a successful acting career, earning a Golden Globes nomination for her role as Jules Cobb in Cougar Town. She is also still very close friends with Jennifer Aniston.
17 of 22Then
Actor Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing.
18 of 22Now
Perry is best known for his role as Chandler, but he has since appeared in 17 Again alongsideZac Efron.
19 of 22Then
Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani.
20 of 22Now
After Friends ended, LeBlanc starred in his own spin-off show, Joey, which ran for two seasons. LeBlanc received three Emmy's nominations for his role as Joey on Friends.
21 of 22Then
Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay.
22 of 22Now
Kudrow is best known for her role as Phoebe on Friends and received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her work. She also gained plaudits through Web Therapy and The Comeback. She is also still close friends with former co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox.