One of the most popular sitcoms of all time, Friends, follows the story of six reckless individuals living in the Manhattan of 90s, as they uniquely and hilariously deal with their families, their lovers, and their professional lives over a period of several years.
Whenever there’s any mention of Friends, either Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel Green or David Schwimmer’s Ross Geller comes to mind before any other character, largely because their puzzled love story was one of the main plotlines of the sitcom that started with runway bride Rachel meeting the tight-knit group in a cafe.
However, four other characters and their distinctive personas also added a lot to the sitcom. In that regard, Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay was more unique and eccentric than any other cast member. The strangeness also oozed in a few scenes involving the character, which made things a bit tricky for other actors.
Why Did Friends Star Cosimo Fusco Feel Uncomfortable to Film a Scene With Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow‘s character quickly stood out from the rest because of her bohemian lifestyle and authentic personality, which didn’t alter in front of anyone, as she never looked to impress individuals around her.
Phoebe Buffay’s free-spirited nature meant a lot of episodes that revolved around her life were filled with either guitar shows or peculiar events, including The One With The Cat episode where she believes that the spirit of her dead mother is inside a cat.
Another unforgettable moment including Phoebe was her interaction with Paolo, a handsome Italian, played by Cosimo Fusco. Jennifer Aniston‘s Rachel Green was in awe of his looks and they quickly became a thing. But Rachel dumped him after Phoebe revealed Paolo made a move at her during a massage session.
But during the initial filming, Fusco found the way his character came out of that scene troubling. He revealed (via The Guardian):
“There was one scene where I was getting a massage, and I had to be this greasy guy who was touching Phoebe’s ass. I had a problem with how it portrayed me, as if guys from Italy are like that. What they wanted me to do was quite disrespectful.”
However, the Italian actor was able find a compromise with the makers and felt comfortable with the final cut.
Why Friends Star Jennifer Aniston Cried in Cosimo Fusco’s Lap
Despite limited dialogues, fans, akin to Rachel (initially), viewers also found Paolo very charming. He only featured in four episodes of the sitcom, but that was enough to make him a memorable character for millions of Friends fans.
Incidentally, Fusco was also present to witness a very emotional reaction from Aniston after NBC ordered a further 12 episodes following the pilot. He recalled (via The Guardian):
“When I taped my first episode, no one had seen it on TV yet. While we were filming, they announced the show had been commissioned for 12 episodes. Jennifer Aniston basically cried in my lap because nothing like that had ever happened to her before.”
Now, 61, Fusco also witnessed how the lives of six actors changed following the first season. Money started rolling in and they started to get recognized and followed. Nevertheless, he added that the stars didn’t change as people, at least with him.
Source: The Guardian
