17 "Friends" Behind-The-Scenes Facts Straight From Guest Stars Of The Show

Almost all of Paolo's Italian lines from Season 1 were improvised.

This September, it will be 25 years since the first episode of Friends premiered on NBC.

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In anticipation of the anniversary, Today had some of the most memorable guest stars sit down and reflect on their time on Friends.

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Here are some of the best behind-the-scenes moments we learned about from them:

1. The moment when Amy kept saying Phoebe's name wrong was actually written while filming the scene.

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Christina Applegate recalled that the hilarious moment was rewritten in front of the live studio audience.

2. While on a break from filming an episode of ER, Kristin Davis and George Clooney visited the Friends set and actually watched the cast rehearse "The One With All the Poker."

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Kristin said, "I remember being blown away by their confidence level and their synergy as a group."

3. Cosimo Fusco improvised almost all of Paolo's Italian lines, including the iconic moment when Rachel and Paolo are looking up at the stars.

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4. Lauren Tom, who played Julie, said when she would film a scene, the live studio audience would actually boo her — people hated that she came between Ross and Rachel.

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Lauren said, "I wasn't prepared for the amount of venom I was about to receive in a live audience. Even I was rooting for Rachel, on some level, 'cause I was a fan of the show."

5. Cole Sprouse's favorite Friends episode was "The One With the Holiday Armadillo" — his fondest memories from Friends were from filming this episode.

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He said, "I was infatuated with the costumes, and the practical effects that they had. That was probably my most memorable thing to shoot."

6. During the early seasons, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, and Lisa Kudrow would bond in-between filming — there was one time they were simply standing in the rain, splashing in a puddle, and just making each other laugh.

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Jane Sibbett, who played Carol, recalled witnessing the moment, saying, "I get choked up when I think about it. I said, like, if they could capture that, that's lightning in a bottle. If they could capture that kind of freedom and that friendship, this show is golden."

7. If the audience didn't react to a joke while filming, the main cast members would huddle together, work through the moment, and try again.

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Vincent Ventresca, who played Fun Bobby, recalled watching this happen on set, saying, "They literally would huddle up in front of a studio audience. They'd be like, 'What if you did this, or what if you did that? And let's try this.' And they'd break, and then they'd go and do it."

8. Jane Sibbett started crying while filming the scene in "The One With the Candy Hearts" where Ross asks Carol if they could give their relationship another try.

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Jane said, "It was so emotional and he made me cry. My eyes welled with tears as we were doing the scene because he was so tender and so loving."

9. The moment when Paolo hilariously recognized Chandler's mom and said "Nora Bing" became a running joke on set — the cast would go up to each other and say the line in-between filming.

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10. Lisa Kudrow helped rewrite Phoebe's storyline in "The One With Ross's Library Book," where Rachel and Phoebe meddle in Joey's relationship.

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11. Christine Taylor was the only actor considered to play Bonnie, Phoebe's friend who ends up shaving her head.

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Christine said, "I got the call saying, 'Hey, do you wanna do an arc on Friends?' I said, 'Absolutely, hands down. I don't even need to read it.'"

12. The scenes where Bonnie was bald were pre-taped because there wasn't enough time for Christine Taylor to get into her bald cap in front of the live studio audience.

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13. Mitchell Whitfield, who played Barry, was originally considered for the roles of Ross and Chandler.

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He was even offered the role of Ross, but the producers ended up calling saying the role was being given to David Schwimmer.

14. One of the most awkward scenes to film was Barry and Rachel cuddling in the orthodontist chair — it was a tiny set that was filled with a ton of lights and crew members.

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This is the episode Mitchell Whitfield vividly remembers filming.

15. Cole Sprouse said he completely forgot some of his lines while filming the scene where Rachel teaches Ben some pranks.

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Cole said, "I remember blanking on my lines, and having a kind of stage fright when she sat next to me on the couch in one episode."

16. Vincent Ventresca said there was a noticeable difference between filming episodes in Season 1 and Season 2 — the show had become so popular in between seasons.

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Vincent said, "I just remember how the energy on the set was. They felt like they were friends. They were a team. And man, it was really cool to just sort of be in that for one night."

17. And finally, Lauren Tom was the one who pitched the joke where Rachel thought Julie didn't speak English — Lauren said it happened to her all the time in real life.

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You can check out the full interviews with the Friends guest stars here.

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