HBO Max released their "Friends " reunion special on Thursday, featuring the six main stars.Paul Rudd , who starred as Phoebe's eventual husband Mike Hannigan, didn't appear.- The director, Ben Winston, told The Wrap that they couldn't have 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.
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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.
Fans on Twitter loved the brief moment, comparing Rudd to Regina George's mom, June, (Amy Poehler) holding a camcorder in "Mean Girls." Others asked for an extended version of the moment.
-@lgreene91 (@lgreene91) May 28, 2021
-nicole (@anistonily) May 27, 2021
-Shahbaz (Shay) (@shayhbaz) May 27, 2021
-Maral (@iammaralll) May 27, 2021
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.'"
Rudd was likely unable to appear on "Friends: The Reunion" because he's gearing up for his return as the titular character in Marvel's third "Ant-Man" film, set for release on February 17, 2023.
Star Michael Douglas told Deadline that filming for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will begin in London in July and Evangeline Lilly has been updating fans on the workouts she's doing in preparation for her return as Hope van Dyne/Wasp.
"Friends: The Reunion" is airing now on HBO Max.