Friends cast open up about ‘no hook-up’ policy on set

‘If we were hooking up, or there was any strangeness going on, that could have messed with things’, said Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry has claimed that there was a ‘no hook-up’ policy in place for the Friends cast during their ten seasons on air – but not all of the cast agree.

The actor, who played Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom, was joined by co-stars David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc in an interview with Access to promote the group’s hotly anticipated reunion special, which is set to air on Thursday.

When asked if there was a pact about not hooking up with co-stars, Perry said: “There was a rule that we had – it was really important to the six of us that we kept a friendship, that we were friends.

“If we were hooking up, or there was any strangeness going on, that could have messed with things,” he said, claiming that director Jim Burrows was the one to introduce the rule.

He continued: “So we kept a friendship, and we did become really good friends. And we are really good friends to this day. And we kept that going, and I think that was very important.”

Schwimmer agreed, saying: “We didn't want to jeopardise any of the great relationships and friendships we were forming and had established. It was kind of an unspoken [rule]”, while LeBlanc added that their relationships were “more like siblings”.

In the corresponding interview with Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow, the women could not recall such an agreement, however.

“I think it's a smart idea but I don't remember actually talking about it,” Cox admitted.

The trio went on to joke about their male co-stars manufacturing the rule to hide the fact that none of them were ever interested in them.

But the three women were united in their belief that their real-life friendship had endured over the years and lived up to the show’s theme song.

“Always,” said Cox, while Aniston and Kudrow agreed, saying, “True”, simultaneously.

“And forever and ever until the day we die,” added Aniston.

The reunion show is set to drop in the UK and Ireland on Thursday 27 May.

While full details of what we can expect are still under wraps, we know that the special will be unscripted and feature the actors out of character reflecting on their time in the show and their memories of it.

Celebrity guests expected to make an appearance include Lady Gaga, Reese Witherspoon, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, and Malala Yousafzai.