Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer have revealed they almost had an off-screen romance while filming Friends.
The pair appeared on the long-awaited Friends reunion episode alongside the sitcom’s four other main cast members, where they were asked by host James Corden if there were any romantic feelings between each of them when the show was on in the 1990s.
In response, Aniston and Schwimmer immediately looked at one another.
“The first season I had a major crush on Jen – we were both crushing hard on one another, but it was like two ships passing ‘cause one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary,” Schwimmer said.
Aniston said the actor’s feelings were “reciprocated”, and said the pair would “spoon and fall asleep on the couch” together during breaks in rehearsal.
Schwimmer added: “How did not everyone know we were crushing on each other?” to which Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc all admitted they “knew”.
Aniston said the pair instead focused on “channelling all our adoration and love for one another into Ross and Rachel”.
Despite this, she recalled telling Schwimmer: “It’s going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I kiss is going to be on national television”.
This would indeed be the case, with Ross and Rachel having their first kiss in Central Perk in season two episode, “The One Where Ross Finds Out”.
Cox described the pair’s feelings for one another as “palpable” and suggested it was a good thing they never had a romance as, if they had broken up, their scenes together “probably wouldn’t have been as great”.
Watch Friends: The Reunion on Sky One and streaming service NOW from Thursday 27 May.
Follow along with all the updates from the reunion in our live blog here, and find out our verdict on the reunion in Adam White’s review here.
