Originally appeared on E! Online
The One Where An Actress Was Almost Replaced.
"Friends" director James Burrows alleged that actress Helen Baxendale, who played Ross Geller (David Schwimmer)'s whirlwind romance Emily in season four and five, almost got removed from the show because she lacked a spark with her costar.
"Schwimmer had no one to bounce off," Burrows wrote in his memoir "Directed By James Burrows," per People. "It was like clapping with one hand."
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Burrows added that Baxendale was "nice, but not particularly funny" compared to Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green, who famously had a will-they-won't-they relationship with Ross.
"In sitcoms and any type of romantic comedy, the funny is just as important as the chemistry," Burrows continued. "We discovered that any new girlfriend for Ross needed to be as funny as Rachel."
Nonetheless, Burrows, in spite of his creative hesitations, didn't take Baxendale off the show because of "tight" deadlines, according to the memoir.
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The Friends Cast Through the Years
"Often, you can't recast, because of tight shooting deadlines or other logistical considerations," said Burrows, who worked on the sitcom throughout the '90s. "You need someone who gets laughs. Sometimes you start an arc and it ain't working out, so you have to get rid of that person. If it's a day player, it's a quick goodbye."
Moreover, Burrows acknowledged that, oftentimes, efforts are made to keep performers if the situation calls for it.
"If there's chemistry," he added, "the writers go to work to figure out some way of keeping the actor."
"Friends" co-creator Marta Kaufmann previously praised Baxendale's talents and admitted it would be hard to join the tight-knit cast.
"Helen came in and was brilliant," Kauffman told Entertainment Weekly 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."
At the time, the actress noted she had "ludicrous" luck to appear on the show.
Baxendale ultimately left "Friends" in season five when Emily and Ross called it quits after a tumultuous marriage. Since then, Baxendale has appeared "Cold Feet," "Cuckoo" and "Noughts + Crosses." E! News has reached out to her rep for comment on the memoir but hasn't heard back.
