The Friends Reunion was a fun highlight to this rainy Memorial Day Weekend here in Connecticut. I thought it perfectly captured how I remember each of the six cast members: fun, kind, smart, talented and genuine. And what an amazing surprise to see my 25-year-old self pop up at the very end: running into the shot as the actors step out of the fountain, dripping wet. I wrap a towel around Jennifer as the Opening Credits shoot concludes.
See below for some personal memories that came back to me as I watched the Reunion.
And, I was inspired to “shop” for my actors one more time—at least, for the girls! Here are a few boards that reflect each character’s style. Which style profile most resonates with you? Click through to shop any and all pieces. I think my personal style is more a Phoebe with a little Monica thrown in!
I found Rachel’s wedding dress in the Warner Brothers costume department. I remember expecting there would be 40 or 50 dresses from which to choose, but when I got to the “wedding dress aisle,” there were only 8 or 10 on the entire rack. A few were really vintage (think 1930s) and a few were joke-y (really large or with silly bows and ribbons attached), but there was this one that seemed to be a possibility. Unfortunately, there were absolute no tags inside or out—I had no idea what size it was. But it looked like the right era and vibe. I brought it back for the fitting—my boss, the extremely talented costume designer Debra McGuire, wasn’t too happy that I only had one choice. Luckily, it fit like a glove! None of us could believe it when Jennifer stepped into it, we zipped it up and it did not need one bit of alterations! We bought a $25 headpiece from a local bridal shop, found some pearl jewelry in the wardrobe room stock and—violà!—Rachel’s first outfit for the pilot episode was complete.
The Opening Credits (in the fountain) were shot at the Warner Brother’s “Ranch” which was a separate lot from the main Warner’s lot where we shot the show. After a long day of rehearsals for a different episode, we began the Opening Credits shoot at 11:00pm and wrapped about 3:30am. Who would have guessed that those few hours of filming would become so iconic? I remember the director asking Courteney to exaggerate the “pull” action of turning off the lamp at the end. She did that action over and over again until they got it just right.
During the Reunion show, the cast is asked if “there was anything you didn’t like?” and David talks about Marcel (the monkey). I remember the monkey getting away from his handler one day and running wild through the many ladders and sky-high catwalks that filled the upper portion of the soundstage. I’m sure the monkey was in heaven, but the rest of us had to wait around for hours until they finally found and lured him back down to work—I’m sure using lots of the grubs that David described in the Reunion. I remember how badly those grubs smelled! I was not unhappy when I first read the next script that had Marcel going to the San Diego Zoo.
I hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane. I’d love to know your thoughts on the Friends Reunion, too! Drop me a quick email here.