Few shows can ever hope to match the complete cultural dominance of Friends during its airing, as the popular sitcom entrenched itself in the cultural zeitgeist with its charming cast, quotable humor, and genuine heart. While some aspects of the series certainly date itself by modern standards, Friends is one of the rare pieces of pop culture that has become so intrinsically intertwined with the idea of television that it practically defines an era all on its own. Just humming the first few notes of the theme song will be met with a smattering of claps in response from other longtime fans — on instinct, more than anything.
Even among all the iconic moments from Friends, perhaps the most ubiquitous image of the series is its opening theme. The dancing around the fountain, the colorful umbrellas, the laughter, and the exciting music all comprise one of the most nostalgic opening themes in television history. And yet, despite the joy the sequence might elicit, the actual filming experience wasn't nearly as fun as the final product. As the cast members of the series recall, the filming of the opening credits was mostly a miserable experience, an exhausting and demoralizing shoot; one that was only saved by the levity brought by Matthew Perry, whose brand of comedy not only lightened the mood, but would define his character, and the show, for years to come.
The Iconic 'Friends' Opening was a Miserable Filming Experience
Image via NBC
Simply put, the Friends opening theme song is one of the most memorable in all television. The sequence features the main cast of the show dancing joyously in a park fountain, intercut with some of the funniest moments from the show. The joyous times are backed by the pop hit song from The Rembrandts, "I'll Be There For You," which is a certified classic with perfectly relatable lyrics and a catchy tune (and was also co-written by the show's producers, David Crane and Marta Kauffman). But where dancing in a fountain is a whimsical idea for a person seizing the day, it wasn't quite as serendipitous an occasion for the actors in the show.
Lisa Kudrow, who played the bubbly and eccentric Phoebe Buffay, recently spoke about the experience on Conan O'Brien's podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. Kudrow shared that "shooting those titles in the fountain was a nightmare," recalling that the shoot was such a taxing experience because of a combination of factors: how late at night it took place, how cold the fountain was, and the sheer quantity of takes that they had to complete. In a stark contrast from her character on the show, Kudrow recalled just how much of a bad mood she was in during the experience, noting that it was difficult to remain upbeat when they were repeatedly asked to dance and feign happiness, while so exhausted and uncomfortable.
Kudrow isn't the only Friends cast member who has less-than-fond memories of the fountain shoot; co-star Courteney Cox also recounted her own experience in 2021 on The Ellen Degeneres Show: "We were in that fountain for a long time. … Someone thought that would be fun, and let me tell you what happened: It's not fun to be dancing in a fountain for hours and hours."
Matthew Perry Helped Cheer Up the 'Friends' Cast During the Shoot
However, despite just how exhausting the experience was, Kudrow also pointed out how the mood at the shoot was essentially saved by Matthew Perry's humor and levity. She shared that Perry's jokes throughout the shoot kept the cast lighthearted and energetic, so much so that some of the clips in the final product were just their genuine laughter at their co-star's humor. Kudrow further expanded on the experience during her conversation with Conan, even recalling some of the specific jokes Perry had shared that kept the cast in light spirits.
"And it was so cold, and we had to keep doing it, and Matthew – And they said "We're gonna do one more take", and he said "One more? Okay. Can't remember a time I wasn't in a fountain. Seriously, can't remember a time I wasn't wet. What are we? Wet? Are we wet in a fountain? What? Are we dancing in a fountain?" They hadn't written him like that yet, and I don't know when I've laughed so hard, and I just — So I'm not kidding, you see us laughing, and it's because he had just said "Ready? Are we going again? Are we going to go again? Are we going to do it again?" And laughing hysterically, just doubled over, and that's in the titles."
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'Friends' Iconic Opening Credits Wouldn't Be the Same Without Matthew Perry
Image via NBC
It's easy to look at this recollection and note how Perry's jokes sound like classic Chandler Bing material, with his signature repeating cadence and repetition for humorous effect. But as Kudrow pointed out, the title sequence was filmed before the show was really in full swing, and before Chandler was ever written to have such wry and quotable dialogue. It was Perry's sense of humor that helped flesh out Chandler's character, which makes his casting even more important to the success of the show. It's a testament to Matthew Perry's comedic talents that his own personal brand of jokes didn't just blend perfectly with the rest of the cast but helped define his character and the comedic tone of the entire show. Friends was a perfect storm of complementary performers, so no one from the main cast could ever actually be replaced, but Perry's witty comebacks and snappy one-liners helped make the show even more memorable and quotable.
Friends is one of the most beloved sitcoms for such a vast multitude of reasons, but one factor that truly stands the test of time is its effective portrayal of friendship and camaraderie. The audience sees the characters grow over a decade, their lives changing dramatically while their friendships stay strong. And though it's only one example among many, it's heartwarming to know that even the cast got to experience that shared connection through adversity during one of the more challenging shoots of the series.
Friends is streaming now on Max in the U.S.
