Friends’ ‘Emily’ Helen Baxendale Was Not Funny “Any New Girlfriend For Ross Needed To Be As Funny As Rachel” Revealed The Director About David Schwimmer Not Having A Competent Co-Star
Friends director James Burrows recalled ‘Emily’ Helen Baxendale not being funny while playing ‘Ross’ David Schwimmer’s girlfriend
Friends’ ‘Emily’ Helen Baxendale Was Not Funny Says Show’s Director James Burrows, Recalls David Schwimmer Not Having A Competent Co-Star For A Girlfriend ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
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Friends – starring Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing and David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, is a much-loved show even today thanks to its dialogues, comedy and the friendships goals it set. While all the actors – including guest starring, were considered funny, one of its directors found Ross’ wife ‘Emily’ Helen Baxendale, not funny.
In his new memoir, James Burrows talks about struggling to work with Helen and how it’s impossible to recast in sitcoms. Read on to know all he said.
As reported by DailyMail, James Burrows recently got candid about working with ‘Emily’ Helen Baxendale when he directed the episode, ‘The One with All the Rugby.’ The 15th episode of Season 4 sees Ross play Rugby with Emily’s British friends for the first time. Talking about his experience working with her in Friends, he recalled in his new memoir, “She was nice but not particularly funny,’
Further talking about Helen Baxendale in Friends, James Burrows continued, “(David) Schwimmer had no one to bounce off. It was like clapping with one hand. In sitcoms and any type of romantic comedy, the funny is just as important as the chemistry. We discovered that any new girlfriend for Ross needed to be as funny as Rachel.”
James further recalled the struggles of working with character actors. He said, “Often, you can’t recast because of tight shooting deadlines or other logistical considerations. You don’t cast anyone to be a straw man, unless it’s for one episode. You need someone who gets laughs. Sometimes you start an arc and it ain’t working out, so you have to get rid of that person. If it’s a day player, it’s a quick goodbye. The reverse is also true. If there’s chemistry, the writers go to work to figure out some way of keeping the actor.”
Did you also find ‘Emily’ Helen Baxendale non-funny in the sitcom? Who do you think was the funniest character in Friends? Let us know in the comments.
