It is the year 2023 now, and Friends is still a guilty pleasure for many sitcom fans. One might credit the show’s success to the incredible cast, engaging writing, and the popular A-listers popping up now and then. However, the Primetime Emmy Award-winning sitcom featured many child actors too, who gave some of the most memorable moments. While a handful grew up to be award-winning actors, including Cole Sprouse and Dakota Fanning, others remain relatively unknown.

One such example is the actor who played Ross and Rachel’s daughter Emma. However, it might interest you that baby Emma was not played by a single actor.

Who played baby Emma on Friends and where are they now?

Fans remember Emma from The One With Ross’s Inappropriate Song and The One With The Cake, which were the funniest episodes featuring the infant. Cali and Noelle Sheldon are the twins who played the character from 2002 to 2003  in eight episodes of the show. They were only one year old when they first entered Friends, and are currently 21-year-old aspiring actresses. The twins last appeared in the movie US, which is a psychological horror film directed by Jordan Peele, who will be teaming up with Steven Yeun in his next film.

The movie was a box office success and earned a whopping $255.2 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million. Apart from doing a successful business, the movie also received a great critical response with a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. During the promotions for the US, one of the twin sisters got candid about her treatment in Friends. 

She shared how their parents helped them land the role of Jennifer Aniston’s daughter.

How did the Sheldon sisters get their big break?

A few years back, Insider conducted an interview with Cali Sheldon, where she shared many behind-the-scenes scoops about the show. Back then, the twins were too young to realize how big of a deal they landed. However, their parents made sure to fill them in on everything that happened backstage once they grew up. Sharing her experience, Sheldon said, “All of the cast were super nice to us, they treated us all like little princesses”. She also went on to share how her parents got the popular role for the twins.

The 21-year-old actress’ mom thought that babies were really good at acting jobs and went on to get a manager who could find roles for the sisters. Shortly after, her manager got the Sheldon sisters their biggest break on Friends. The real-life Emma also shared how her on-screen mom, Aniston, had to parent her at times when she made “way too many noises”. However, crying and making noises were never an issue for the makers. Casting twins proved to be a safe strategy, as they could take turns acting with the other one when one of them was cranky or asleep. 

Who is your favorite child actor in Friends? Also, let us know your favorite Emma moment from the show in the comments below.