Paul Rudd Explains Why Filming The Last Episode Of Friends Was So Awkward

‘I was in the last episode, which made no sense to me whatsoever.’

Paul Rudd Friends

by Phoebe Parke |
Published on

It’s been 25 years since the first episode of Friends aired, and it’s having a serious renaissance – thanks in part to all 10 seasons now being on Netflix. With renewed focus on the show as fans celebrate the anniversary around the world, there have been some seriously interesting revelations shared by those involved in making it a hit. We’ve learned which two episodes the show’s co-creator Marta Kauffman regrets making, the exact lipstick Jennifer Aniston wore when playing Rachel Green, and now Paul Rudd, who played Mike on the show, has revealed the awkward joke he made to Aniston while filming the last episode.

‘It was an incredible thing to be a part of, and the whole experience seemed a bit surreal and a bit of a blur,’ Rudd said of Friends on the Graham Norton Show last week.

‘I was only coming on for a couple of episodes, it turned into a few more, but it was nearing the end of the show, which was a phenomenon… I was in the last episode, which made no sense to me whatsoever.’

He then went on to reveal that during the last episode, he saw Aniston crying and hugging co-creator Kaufmann. ‘I thought, I’m not supposed to be there. So to break the ice I went over and just went, “We did it, huh? What a ride.” The joke inevitably fell flat.’

And it’s no wonder Rudd felt a little out of place on set: when he started playing Phoebe’s love interest Mike he was told it would only be for a few episodes, but the producers loved him so much that he ended up staying right to the end.

And how did Hank Azaria who played Phoebe’s former boyfriend feel about that?

‘It actually did sting a little bit,’ Azaria told the Huffington Post in 2016. ‘Whatever part of me is David the Science Guy who went to Minsk, which admittedly is probably a small part of me, but that part of me wanted to end up with Phoebe. So I was sort of sad when I didn’t.’

Praising Rudd, he said: ‘He certainly has gone on to prove that he was deserving of Phoebe’s love. He’s a handsome devil. He’s actually annoyingly handsome. He shouldn’t really be allowed to be that handsome. He’s like the Tom Brady of comedy.’

READ MORE: All The Celebrity Cameos In Friends That You Missed The First Time Around

Gallery

The Debrief Celebrity Cameos In Friends

Celebrity Cameos In Friend1 of 29

Janine, aka Elle Macpherson

Joey's Australian dancer roommate who is the real reason we got to witness Ross and Monica perform 'The Routine'.

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CREDIT: Getty Images

Philip Schofield?!

Phillip Schofield shocked This Morning viewers by admitting he'd been on Friends, well, kinda. He's a superfan of the show, and so he actually went along to a viewing of Friends in the 90s. His laugh can be heard in a scene between Jennifer Aniston's Rachel and Matt Le Blanc's Joey in series three.He said: 'I have actually been on Friends. I've been in an episode of Friends. The one where they keep the scary books in the fridge. When I say I was on Friends... my laugh was on Friends.'

Celebrity Cameos In Friend3 of 29

Sandy, aka Freddie Prinze Jr.

The male nanny who Ross had an uncomfortable, definitely not okay, problem with.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend4 of 29

Melissa Warburton, aka Winona Ryder

Remember the big kiss? The one that Rachel apparently had in college with Melissa but no one believes her? That was with Winona.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend5 of 29

Ben, aka Cole Sprouse

Ross's son with Carol was not in the show anywhere near as frequently as he should have been. But the episode where Rachel teaches him how to pull pranks is gold.

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Ralph Lauren, aka Ralph Lauren

Kind of makes sense to have the real life fashion person referred to in Rachel's TV world job, played by the real life person.

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Susie Moss, aka Julia Roberts

Susie stole Chandler's clothes after having him undress in a cubicle in some restaurant toilets as revenge for teasing and pulling up her skirt when they were at school.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend8 of 29

Officer Goodbody, aka Danny Devito

Phoebe's last minute stripper for her bachelorette party was a fantastic dancer, and I won't hear otherwise.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend9 of 29

Dr. Michael Mitchell, aka George Clooney

Meet hot doctor number one who somehow finds himself in the middle of Rachel and Monica's identity swap after Monica loses her health insurance.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend10 of 29

Jamie, aka Helen Hunt

Helen popped up way back in the first season to give Friends a weird cross over into the Mad About You world. She tries to order coffee from Phoebe. It's a bit awks.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend11 of 29

Cousin Cassie, aka Denise Richards

Ah cousin Cassie Gellar. A relative who comes to stay with Monica but is oogled at a bit too much by Chandler so then goes to stay with Ross and has a weird moment over there too.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend12 of 29

Andrea Waltham, aka Jennifer Saunders

What a role, eh? Andrea played mother to Emily (Ross's wife who's name he did not say at the alter) and answers the phone to poor pregnant Phoebe who wasn't able to fly to London for the wedding.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend13 of 29

Tim and Tomas, aka Billy Crystal and Robin Williams

The award for the most out of nowhere cameo probably goes to these two guys who sat on the gang's sofa in the coffee house. Robin's character thinks his wife is cheating on him and for such an impromptu skit, it's pretty funny.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend14 of 29

Will Colbert, aka Brad Pitt

Aka co-president of the 'I Hate Rachel' club and lover of Thanksgiving food.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend15 of 29

Paul Stevens, aka Bruce Willis

Paul is dating Rachel after she breaks up with Ross who is dating Paul's daughter Elizabeth. It's one of the best awkward relationship squares that I can think of and that pep-talk moment in the mirror is A-grade brilliance.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend16 of 29

Richard Crosby, aka Gary Oldman

If you thought the guy who plays opposite Joey in a film then here's why. There's an awkward joke about an Oscar that he hasn't won (in real life and on the show).

Celebrity Cameos In Friend17 of 29

Leonard Hayes, aka Jeff Goldblum

Leonard/Jeff ends up getting peed on by Joey while congratulating him for a great audition, and I think we'll leave it there.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend18 of 29

Erica Ford, aka Brooke Shields

Yep, Joey's creepy Days Of Our Lives stalker is played by the Brooke Shields.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend19 of 29

Zack, aka John Stamos

To jog your memory, Zack is someone Monica and Chandler want as a sperm donor - they just don't tell him this!

Celebrity Cameos In Friend20 of 29

Amy Green, aka Christina Applegate

Here we have one of the Green sisters. We only meet Amy twice, and she has a real issue with getting Rachel's daughter Emma's name right.

Celebrity Cameos In Friend21 of 29

Jill Green, aka Reese Witherspoon

And here we have the other Green sister. She's Rachel's younger sister who comes to find her in the city hoping to start a new life like Rachel did but, well, doesn't. We think dating Ross to spite Rachel might have had a little something to do with it...

Celebrity Cameos In Friends22 of 29

Tommy, aka Ben Stiller

Remember Tommy the screamer?

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Erica, aka Anna Faris

Fun fact, Monica and Chandler's baby girl (one of the twins they adopted from Erica) would be about 17 now.

Celebrity Cameos In Friends24 of 29

Ryan, aka Charlie Sheen

Ryan, one of Phoebe's old flames, comes into town for a couple of weeks and hangs around even though Phoebe has the chicken pox. I suppose you could say it's kind of sweet.

Celebrity Cameos In Friends25 of 29

Kristen, aka Gabrielle Union

Kristen is one of the many women that Joey and Ross bicker over. She appears in The One With The Cheap Wedding Dress (when the girls go to that crazy discount store to help Monica find her dress) and ultimately choses to date neither of them.

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Wendy, aka Selma Blair

Miss Oklahoma runner up and causer of Christmas friction between Chandler and Monica.

Celebrity Cameos In Friends27 of 29

Jessica Lockhart, aka Susan Sarandon

We really hope no one took Jessica's screen kissing tips seriously. She's one of Joey's Days of Our Lives co-stars who is involved in that weird brain swap scenario.

Celebrity Cameos In Friends28 of 29

Mackenzie, aka Dakota Fanning

Nine-year-old Dakota Fanning played the little girl who chats to Joey when he's taken by Chandler and Monica to visit a house out in the suburbs. Neither of them wanted the sale to happen so they bonded.

Celebrity Cameos In Friends29 of 29

Guy on plane, aka Hugh Laurie

Let's have a moment for the unfortunate, nameless guy who has to sit next to Rachel on the flight from New York to London when she's adamant about telling Ross how she feels.

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