There are at least two reasons whyFriendshas become one of the best and most popular sitcoms in television history: On the one hand, there are the brilliantly written dialogues, where every word and punchline is in the right place. On the other hand, the scripts would of course only be worth half if they were not brought to life by an incredibly playful and perfectly harmonizing ensemble, which you can see growing closer together episode after episode.
One person has made a decisive contribution to fueling the chemistry and dynamics between Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry, who passed away far too early at the end of October 2023: director James Burrows, who directed 15 . episodes of “Friends,” including the pilot episode.
Psychological tricks and Vegas trips
Burrows has not only worked on ‘Friends’, but also on other successful shows such as ‘Cheers’, ‘Will & Grace’ and ‘Frasier’. So if anyone knows how to make a sitcom work, it’s Burrows. He explained exactly how he does this in an interview using the example ‘Friends’. reveal: “I give [den Schauspieler*innen] self-confidence and saying, ‘Let’s try to take this as far as we can,'” he said. ‘I’m also a psychologist, you know. If I want to add something funny, I make it look like it’s an actor’s idea.
With this simple trick, Burrows helped the ‘Friends’ stars gain more confidence in themselves and their abilities – which paid off in front of the camera. But that’s not the only measure the director and author have taken to bring the group together. Christina Pickles, who played Ross and Monica’s mother on “Friends,” said this in another interview deceived:
“Burrows was instrumental in creating the atmosphere of ‘Friends,’” the actress explained. “He took the six leads to Las Vegas before they started work and they all had a great time together. That was probably very helpful in strengthening the sympathy between them.”
To play a group of friends so convincingly – over a period of ten years! – can in principle only succeed if the actors are friends with each other in real life. That’s exactly what remains the case today – thanks to James Burrows!