Running for ten seasons and leaving its mark as one of the most iconic pop culture shows, Friends still boasts a sizeable audience and a prominent place in fans’ hearts. The NBC sitcom, which started with a group of then-relatively unknown actors, shot up to mercurial fame and along with it threw that core cast of six into the global spotlight. However, to make that rise possible, several key creatives played an active part, including director James Burrows. Shedding light on those very contributions, Jennifer Aniston once poured her heart out.

The revelations brought to the fore the impact of the show on the lives of the cast, which in the actress’ words, remained beyond compare.

Friends played an integral part in the lives of the core cast

From earning $22,500 per episode during the show’s start to more than a million towards its final seasons, the impact of the show on the group of six and vice versa remains undeniable. However, during the February 2016 NBC tribute show to director James Burrows, Jennifer Aniston spoke on how Friends seeped into their lives far beyond paychecks. “We experienced friendship, family, heartbreak, babies, everything together,” the actress summed up as evidently clear by her marriage to Brad Pitt during the show’s seventh season.

Speaking on the actual topic of Burrows’ contribution, Aniston highlighted how the director who pieced together 15 of the show’s episodes wove their lives together. Describing the show’s duration as “probably the best 10 years of our acting careers,” the Rachel Green actress shed light on the proceedings behind the scenes. The cast’s practice of huddling before each shoot day as well as appearing together on many key interviews birthed a strong bond that still lasts as showcased in their sorrow during Matthew Perry’s passing.

In the same show, Aniston also opened up on her story of landing the role of Rachel Green and the switch-up with Courteney Cox.

Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox switched their roles after auditions

The life of the show’s cast remained vastly different before its airing. While Matt LeBlanc had come down to his last savings, the other two male members kept juggling between several airing shows. In the meantime, Jennifer Aniston had taken to odd jobs as a telemarketer, ice cream scooper, and waitress before Friends. However, when up for auditions for the sitcom, the Leprechaun actress had originally essayed for Monica Geller while Courteney Cox had appeared for Rachel Green.

The change in their characters happened when makers as well as the actresses realized that their real-life personas matched more to that of the other. After gaining all the attention, Aniston, as America’s sweetheart, went on to continue her professional acting foray. As of now, the actress continues to win over audiences and receive accolades for her continuing role as Alex Levy in The Morning Show.

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