Did you know that when “Friends” started, Jennifer Aniston — who plays Rachel on the hit sitcom — actually had a crush on one of the cast? And the attraction was mutually returned?
Yep, there truly could have been a Ross and Rachel, because both David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston nursed an attraction for each other. Considering that in 1994 they were heart-whole and fancy-free, it’s strange that Ross and Rachel did not turn into David & Jennifer for real…
Because as Phoebe said it, lobsters!
Ross & Rachel Could Have Been David & Jennifer
While Ross’s attraction for Rachel is apparent from the start, almost each of the six on-screen friends did have a crush on each other at some point in the series.
So during HBO Max‘s “Friends: The Reunion” special, it was but natural for host James Corden to ask the six if there was any attraction and off-screen romance between each other…
So Aniston and Schwimmer claimed dibs on the same, with the latter admitting, “I mean, the first season, I had a major crush on Jen. At some point, we were crushing hard on each other”.
We bring to you, Ross and Rachel…
Neither Acted Upon It
On-screen, Matthew Perry‘s Chandler and Courteney Cox‘s Monica also found love with each other, while Lisa Kudrow‘s Phoebe married Mike, played by Ant-Man, Paul Rudd.
But off-screen, it seems it was only Jen and David who felt the pull for each other, with Schwimmer saying that the attraction was “like two ships passing, because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that.”
But it seems Matt LeBlanc, as in Joey, had a problem believing that. He muttered, “Bulls—,” under his breath. Jokingly, of course.
Remember Monica proposing to Chandler?
Their First Kiss Was On National TV
At this point, Aniston also recalled that she even admitted to Schwimmer that it would be strange if their first kiss happened on national television.
But then, that is exactly what happened as Aniston admitted, “Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop.”
So apparently all the love they felt for each other as David and Jennifer, they channeled into Ross and Rachel and went on to make one of the most believable couples onscreen.
Watch them admit their “love”…
The Crush Was No Secret
The attraction was something Perry and Cox were aware of. Today, both Aniston and Schwimmer admit that it was best that they didn’t act upon it. If the ups and downs of Ross and Rachel happened to them for real, it may not have been as good for the show.
Ross and Rachel ended up together and even had a daughter, Emma.
In real life, Schwimmer married English artist Zoe Buckman in 2010, though they split in 2017 and currently co-parent their daughter. Aniston married Brad Pitt in 2000, splitting up in 2005, and then married and divorced Justin Theroux.
As a treat, watch Pitt make his entrance, and then read why Lisa Kudrow is embarrassed about the series in general.
