Paul Rudd was absent from the ‘Friends’ reunion special, but the director said there was just ‘too many cameos’
“Friends” star Paul Rudd was absent from HBO Max’s reunion special, and now the director is explaining why.
“Well, we couldn’t have everybody on because it’s only an hour and 45 minutes. And you’ve got to pay attention — the main nub of the show has got to be about the six cast members,” Ben Winston told The Wrap.
He added: “So you can’t have too many cameos because, of course, there were hundreds of amazing people who were in ‘Friends’ over the years. Sadly, we couldn’t get everybody in.”
“Friends: The Reunion” was released on Thursday, hosted by James Corden. It centered on the reunion of the six main cast members: Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), and Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani).
The special featured the cast revisiting the sitcom’s set, reminiscing about the 10-season show, doing table reads of iconic scenes, and playing a trivia game. Kudrow also performed her character’s fan-favorite track, “Smelly Cat,” with Lady Gaga.
Other celebrities popped up on the show in-person or via video, including former stars who had smaller storylines on the show: Maggie Wheeler (Janice), Tom Selleck (Richard Burke), Larry Hankin (Mr. Heckles), and James Michael Tyler (Gunther).
But Rudd, who joined the show during season nine as Mike Hannigan, and married his onscreen wife Kudrow on the 10th and final season, was missing from “Friends: The Reunion.”
Another significant cast member, Cole Sprouse (Ross and Carol’s son) was also notably absent from the reunion. It’s possible that he wasn’t present because he was busy filming “Riverdale” in Vancouver.
Winston told The Wrap that some stars who were invited to the special “weren’t able to make it” to the taping, which took place at Warner Bros. Studio’s Stage 24 in California, where the original show was filmed. He said that logistical challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult to get more actors involved.
Although Rudd didn’t appear on “Friends: The Reunion,” fans got a glimpse of him in old footage shown from the taping of the show’s series finale.
As the six main stars took their final bow, Rudd was seen in the studio audience, couching down and capturing the moment on a camcorder.
Rudd himself previously spoke about feeling like he didn’t belong on set when the cast filmed their final episode together.
“I was in the last episode, which made no sense to me whatsoever,” the actor said during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” in 2019.
Rudd recalled being on the sound stage when filming wrapped, noting how the cast was so emotional.
“Jennifer Aniston was crying and I thought, ‘I’m not supposed to be here,'” he said. “To break the ice, I went over and said: ‘Well, we did it! What a ride!’ The joke inevitably fell flat.'”
