In a recent chat with WSJ Magazine (April 1), Paul Rudd reminisced about his tenure on Friends and a heartfelt gesture from Matthew Perry that made him feel welcome. According to Rudd, Perry extended an invitation for him to join in some video game sessions shortly after he became part of the cast in 2002.
Rudd stated that he’s not much of a gamer and wasn’t sure if the other person was either. However, he recollected feeling puzzled, thinking this individual didn’t know him well at all. Yet, they invited him in, and the two ended up playing video games together.
In remembrance of Matthew Perry, who tragically passed away at the age of 54 in October 2023, Paul Rudd recalls this particular memory as the one that comes to mind when he reflects on him. It was reported that the cause of death for the beloved Friends star was a ketamine overdose.
In the ninth series, Rudd entered the scene playing Mike Hannigan, who turned out to be Phoebe Buffay’s (Lisa Kudrow) romantic interest. His character proved crucial to the plot development, culminating in the nuptials of Phoebe and Mike during the final season.
Regardless of developing friendships with the cast members, Rudd admitted to feeling somewhat out of sync during the series finale. “He has expressed feeling somewhat like, ‘What am I doing here? It should be just the six of them,'” co-creator David Crane shared with WSJ Magazine.
Nevertheless, Crane and his co-creator Marta Kauffman believed it crucial for Mike to appear in the final episode. Crane expressed that if he wasn’t there, it would seem somewhat like typical TV nonsense. Likewise, Kauffman asserted that he was the one who would bring everlasting happiness to Phoebe’s life.
In the much-awaited Friends reunion on HBO Max in 2021, Rudd was noticeably absent. As per the director, Ben Winston, the emphasis was kept solely on the original six cast members.
Winston explained to The Wrap that there could only be a limited number of guest appearances during the reunion, as there are numerous gifted actors who have starred on Friends throughout its run.
He mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic made matters even more complex because certain individuals couldn’t travel abroad due to restrictions, whereas others had filming obligations or were confined within production zones.
Despite not attending the reunion himself, Rudd has been reminiscing about Friends with a personal twist – through his daughter. In an interview with PEOPLE last November, he shared that she’s been watching old episodes, stirring up nostalgic feelings for him.
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2025-04-02 15:23