The One With The Pre-Friends Years

Some people out there might think that Friends was the first TV show that the six cast members had been in. Others will remember Lisa Kudrow as the clueless waitress (Ursula) on Mad About You, and Courtney Cox as Alex's girlfriend (Lauren) on Family Ties (one of my other favorite TV shows). Some of you might even remember Cox's first big break as the girl that Bruce Springsteen pulls onto the stage in his music video, Dancing In The Dark. But do any of you remember Matt Leblanc in Married with Children or Just the Ten of Us? Top of the Heap? Vinnie and Bobby? Well, actually Matt Leblanc played the same character (Vinnie Verducci) in three of the shows. Top of the Heap was a spin-off from Married with Children while Vinnie and Bobby was a "retooling" of Top of the Heap. I do remember Leblanc in Married with Children, as he played Kelly's boyfriend that accidentally breaks Al's favorite record. Does anyone else remember that episode? As far as a movie career before Friends, Leblanc had a part in the blockbuster, The Killing Box...Okay, I'm kidding. In a strange coincidence, David Arquette (Courtney Cox's future husband) also had a part in this movie.

Does anyone remember Matthew Perry's three episode stint on Growing Pains as Carol's boyfriend, Sandy? I can remember when the two of them went out to a party and Sandy died in a car accident while under the influence. Strange how you can remember things from a sitcom that has someone dying in it! But this wasn't the only show that Perry was on. He had regular roles on the short-lived TV series, Second Chance, Sydney and Home Free, as well as one episode appearance on shows such as Charles in Charge, Silver Spoons, Just the Ten of Us (another strange coincidence - Leblanc was also appeared in this show), Who's the Boss?, Beverly Hills 90210 - among many others. As for a movie career before Friends, he had a role in the River Phoenix movie, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon.

Jennifer Aniston showed up in two episodes of Herman's Head and an episode of Quantum Leap before Friends. She also had regular roles on short-lived TV shows like Molloy, Ferris Bueller, The Edge and Muddling Through. In Ferris Bueller, she played Jeanie, Ferris' sister (in the movie version, Jennifer Grey played Jeanie). Grey would later show up in an episode of Friends as Aniston's best friend from high school - another strange coincidence. As for Aniston's movie career prior to Friends, she starred in the horror classic, Leprechaun. Okay, it might not be a classic, but they did make four sequels (although three of them went directly to video). Aniston's father, John, is a regular on the soap opera, Days of Our Lives.

David Schwimmer was a stage actor before he made it big on Friends, but it doesn't mean that he had his share of failed TV shows before it. Graduating from Northwestern University, Schwimmer co-created Chicago's Lookingglass Theater Company, along with best friend and actor Joey Slotnick (TV's The Single Guy, Boston Public and Alias, as well as the movies Twister and Hollow Man). Schwimmer lost the part in the original "Friends" (called Couples) to high school friend, Jonathan Silverman (TV's The Single Guy and the movie Weekend At Bernie's). David Schwimmer got the part when the show was retooled as "Friends".  But before that, the actor was a regular on The Wonder Years and appeared in recurring roles on TV shows L.A. Law and NYPD Blue. Luckily for him, the show, Monty, also failed. As for his movie career, he appeared in the movies, Flight of the Intruder, Crossing the Bridge, The Waiter and Twenty Bucks.

Before she got the part of Monica (on Friends) and became Courteney Cox Arquette, Courteney Cox was the most well known friend. As mentioned above, she starred in Family Ties as Alex's girlfriend for three years but she also had some success in films. She starred in the live action adaptation of Masters of the Universe, along with Mr. Destiny and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. But before all of that, she appeared in The Love Boat, As the World Turns and the short-lived TV series, Misfits of Science. Cox also had failures with shows The Trouble With Larry and movies (Blue Desert and The Opposite Sex And How to Live With Them).

Before Mad About You, Lisa Kudrow appeared on such shows as Cheers, Newhart, Life Goes On, and two episodes of Coach as different characters. She also had a failed series with "Bob", yet another Bob Newhart show (lasted one season). As for a movie career, Kudrow was in the science fiction film, The Unborn, as well as Dance With Death and In the Heat of Passion. Her character, Ursula, from Mad About You would go on to make appearances on Friends as Phoebe's twin sister.

The One With The Friends Years
Going into its ninth and final year (?), Friends is now more popular than ever  Sure, it's not getting the ratings that it did in its first few years but TV's overall ratings have gone down over the past decade. Friends was the number one show on in its eighth season, which was a great thing for fans since the cast decided to sign on for another year, making roughly $1 million an episode each (which comes out to $24 million a year each). Are they worth it? Of course they are, the amount that the show is generating is over $1 billion! I have always believed that you pay people what they are worth. Every corporation, or professional sports team, or whatever, has people at the top that make a lot of money (then again, I have to agree with most fans that it is ridiculous that baseball players may be going on strike again!). The bottom line is that Friends is the top television show, so they should get paid the most. Frasiers' Kelsey Grammer gets $1.6 million an episode, which means he makes close to $40 million a year. Does anyone make a big deal about that? The show isn't even in the top ten anymore and Grammer makes about $14 million more per year than any Friends cast member. So everyone should stop complaining.

Anyway, as with most television stars the jump to movies is a very difficult one. Sure, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey and many from the cast of Saturday Night Live have had some wonderful careers in movies, but more often than not, people that have successful shows do not make it on the big screen. Case in point, the cast of Friends.

The One With Courteney Cox Arquette

As far as box office returns are concerned, she is the most successful of the Friends cast.  Since the show, Cox Arquette has starred in the Scream trilogy. The first two movies made over $100 million and the third with $89 million in domestic box office. Together, they grossed over $290 million, but she also had some failures with Commandments, The Runner, and 3000 Miles to Graceland. Coming up is the science fiction film, Alien Love Triangle, with Kenneth Branagh and Heather Graham. But chances of this movie doing well are slim since its been sitting around in post production for quite some time.

Arquette's chances for having a post-Friends career is pretty good, but if it wasn't for the Scream trilogy and Ace Ventura, her movie career would be pretty much non-existent. She hasn't exactly had roles that critics have raved about and my guess is that after Friends, she might try her luck on the big screen and then eventually return to television.

The One With Jennifer Aniston

Since gaining fame as Rachel Green on Friends, Aniston has starred in such clunkers as Picture Perfect, Object of My Affection, and Rock Star. Not one of those movies garnered any good reviews for her or made over $50 million. It seemed that the Friends curse was in full mode. That was until this year when she took on the role of a bored wife that is looking for a little more in life than an annoying job and a husband that comes home every night with his best friend and gets high. The Good Girl is the strongest case that there is life after Friends. Aniston gives a performance that is Oscar nomination worthy, as she is pretty much the complete opposite of her character on Friends. In any other year I could almost guarantee an Oscar nomination, but I predict that this year will be unlike any year before in the Oscar race for females.

There was already a great performance from Diane Lane in this summer's Unfaithful and later this year there are sure to be great performances from Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep (also in Adaptation) and Julianne Moore in The Hours. Then there is Susan Sarandon in Moonlight Mile and The Banger Sisters (with Goldie Hawn), Michelle Pfeiffer in White Oleander, Renee Zellweger in White Oleander as well as Chicago, Salma Hayek in Frida, Brittany Murphy in 8 Mile, Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago, Kathy Bates in About Schmidt, Emily Watson in Punch-Drunk Love, and Kate Winslet and Laura Linney in The Life of David Gale. Will Aniston be able to get a nomination? It will be tough, but no matter what she is well on her way to being a silver screen star. I have the biggest faith in her of any Friends cast member after seeing her great performance.

The future looks bright for Aniston, as she just signed on to star opposite Jim Carrey in the comedy, Bruce Almighty, where she plays the girlfriend of Carrey's character, Bruce, who gets a chance to be God for one day. It may be too soon to say, but it could be her first $100 million movie. And she is the one cast member of Friends that can afford to take the risky road out to the big screen considering that her husband, Brad Pitt, is also bringing in $15 - 20 million a picture, she can take all the time she wants to become a movie star. The thing is, with The Good Girl, she is already a movie star.

'Friends' Curse >> Continued