Leave The World Behind: Director Sam Esmail Opens Up About Friends Reference In Julia Roberts Starrer! (Picture Credit: IMDb)
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Netflix’s dystopian science-fiction movie Leave the World Behind, starring Mahershala Ali, Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la Jael Herrold, and Kevin Bacon, has garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. Based on the award-winning book by Rumaan Alam of the same name, the film follows two families as they cope with an impending apocalypse.
Leave the World Behind sees Julia Roberts play Amanda Sandford, a privileged white woman, the type the internet prefers to call ‘Karen’, who takes her family —her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) and two kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie)— to a weekend getaway to a Long Island beach house. Amanda gets the shock of her life when G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali), claiming to be the property owner, shows up with his daughter Ruth (Myha’la), as she finds it difficult to comprehend that the house they rented belongs to a black family. Despite their unsettling racist encounter, the Scotts and Sandfords must stick together for survival as society at large becomes dysfunctional due to a blackout.
The film’s gripping storyline keeps viewers hooked throughout; however, one more detail that many have pointed out includes the ‘Friends’ reference, which has generated piqued curiosity among netizens. While some have hailed it as a paradox, many have termed it a potential loophole on the makers’ part. Scroll ahead to learn more.
One of the prevalent storylines in the film includes Rose’s obsession with the TV show Friends. Despite the world being on the brink of collapse, she’s determined to watch the last episode of the NBC sitcom. Now, it’s interesting because Julia Roberts, who plays Rose’s mom in the movie, also made an appearance in season two of Friends. For those who may not be aware, Julia Roberts starred in a two-part long episode ‘The One After The Super Bowl’ where she played the role of Susie Moss, Chandler Bing’s (Matthew Perry) love interest.
In the movie, we see that the pre-teen has been binge watching the comedy show for weeks, and despite being on a holiday, she just cannot let go of her addiction. While the world is literally ending, she still wants to know what happened to Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston).
Many netizens have questioned if Julia’s on-screen daughter Rose in Leave the World Behind has recognized her mom in her favorite TV show, calling it a major plot hole and saying there’s no way the makers would have taken up a Friends reference willingly. However, a faction of internet users believes Julia Roberts is a paradox. Since Rose does not recognize Roberts as Susie in the sitcom, this potentially means that Leave the World Behind and Friends cannot really exist in the same space.
Clearing the theories about the Friends connection, director of Leave the World Behind Sam Esmail explained that in the movie universe, Julia Roberts is not playing Amanda. In fact, she’s just Rose’s mom.
“On a purely intellectual level, in this universe, Julia Roberts is not playing Amanda. There’s just Rose’s mom, Amanda Sanford,” he explained. “And on the show, she sees Julia Roberts, and maybe she has a passing resemblance to her mom, but because it’s her mom, she probably doesn’t think twice about it. So that’s my weird, meta-convoluted explanation for it,” he told The Messenger.
Speaking about Julia Roberts‘ reaction to the inclusion of friends, the director revealed that they all smiled every time it came up. “When Julia read the script, of course, I was so curious about her reaction, and, ultimately, I think we all smiled every time we realized the connection. In that way, emotionally, it even adds to the satisfaction,” he said.
