The One Friends Actor The Show's Director Didn't Think Was Funny
"Friends" wasn't just the story of six New York City besties. Over its 10-season run, the Emmy-winning sitcom featured many recurring characters that fans grew to know and love. Who can forget Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica's (Courteney Cox) quirky parents, Jack (Elliott Gould) and Judy Geller (Christina Pickles), or the cackling Janice (Maggie Wheeler) and her "Oh my God" catchphrase? Turns out, not only were the main characters hilarious, but their friends and family members were too. However, one supporting character didn't make a similar comedic splash.
In his 2022 memoir, "Directed by James Burrows," the veteran "Friends" director admitted he couldn't get past the lack of chemistry between Ross and his short-time wife Emily Waltham (Helen Baxendale). Even worse, he noted that Baxendale just wasn't funny enough. "She was nice, but not particularly funny," Burrows wrote of Baxendale (per People). "Schwimmer had no one to bounce off. It was like clapping with one hand."
Burrows strongly implied that he even considered casting a new actor for the role of Emily in an attempt to find a partner for Ross who was as funny as his on-and-off love, Jennifer Aniston's Rachel. In the end, a strict shooting schedule prevented that. "You need someone who gets laughs," he wrote. "Sometimes you start an arc and it ain't working out, so you have to get rid of that person."
Alas, Ross and Emily's romance only lasted a few months before the British bride was shipped back to England and written off of the show. Okay, Ross calling Emily "Rachel" during their wedding vows may have pushed her there too.
Helen Baxendale wasn't close with the rest of the Friends cast
Helen Baxendale was not the first choice to play Emily on "Friends." Producers initially wanted actor and singer Patsy Kensit for the role of Ross Geller's English love interest (via Entertainment Weekly). When Kensit didn't work out, showrunner Marta Kauffman was excited to add Baxendale to the cast. "Helen came in and was brilliant," Kauffman told the outlet in 1998. "It's a difficult thing we're asking her to do, because the audience is very resistant to that seventh person coming in. But you can see her being one of your friends."
Baxendale ultimately played Emily in 14 episodes between 1998 and 1999, but was known more for her poker face than punch lines. Years later, Baxendale discussed if she grew close with the tight-knit, real-life friend group that had already been working together for five years. "They were all very nice and professional. We were never great mates though," she told The Sunday Mirror in 2012. "People expect because it is called 'Friends' that everyone was great friends, but they were real professionals. They'd been doing it for years and I was one of many guest stars to appear."
A decade later, Baxendale admitted she never sought the superstar fame that the six main "Friends" actors received back in the United States. "I saw those people in 'Friends'...and thought: I don't think that life is really what I want," she told The Independent in 2022. "They were hounded. They weren't able to walk into a supermarket and buy something." When searching for the words to describe her overall experience with the recognition that came with "Friends," Baxendale concluded with, "The whole thing was bonkers."