David Schwimmer recalls ‘frightening’ moment a 'Friends' star was rushed to hospital: "He looked like..."
There is no denying that 'Friends' has acquired the title of a cultural phenomenon, where even little details from the smash hit series grab headlines. While the onscreen chemistry of the six protagonists is an open secret, their offscreen camaraderie is equally endearing. David Schwimmer recently opened up about a terrifying incident that happened during the taping of the series, which left him and his co-stars shaken. Describing the situation as 'frightening,' Schwimmer reveals how it deeply affected the cast during the production.
In a recent conversation with Entertainment Weekly, the actor shared how Matt LeBlanc was supposed to perform a pratfall, but things went south. Schwimmer explained, "He dislocated his shoulder. He went white, and he stood up, and I could see his shoulder was out. He looked like he was going to pass out." Schwimmer, although shaken by the incident, reacted quickly by turning to the camera and shouting, "Cut, cut, cut." Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller on the show, added, "That was genuinely frightening. You could see how badly hurt he was." He shared that the filming stopped immediately, and LeBlanc was rushed to the hospital for treatment. With a bit of nervous laughter, he remarked, "That was scary."
However, LeBlanc's tragic moment isn't fresh news. The incident was previously also discussed during Netflix's 'Friends' reunion in 2021. In the episode 'The One Where No One’s Ready,' LeBlanc’s character Joey Tribbiani had to jump into a chair, as per TVLine. After successfully doing it three times, LeBlanc tripped during the fourth attempt. He shared at the reunion, "I went to jump over the coffee table and somehow tripped. My legs went up in the air and my shoulder came out of the socket."
Series co-creator Marta Kauffman questioned their decision to film the unfortunate scene for the fourth time, saying, "Lord knows why we had to shoot it a fourth time." Co-creator David Crane also explained, "They had to take him to the hospital, so that was the end of the filming." As a result, the injury was written into the next episode, 'The One With the Jam.' Executive producer Kevin Bright added, "We put that into the show, then we waited until he was OK to go back and film the ending of ‘The One Where No One’s Ready."
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LeBlanc has taken a break from acting, avoiding the spotlight after the tragic passing of 'Friends' co-star Matthew Perry. Meanwhile, Schwimmer is set to star in the new series 'Goosebumps: The Vanishing,' on Friday, January 10. The actor recently on Good Morning America shared how even after more than two decades, the 'Friends' frenzy has not dimmed. The star recalled how random people still shout 'pivot' at him, referencing the iconic scene from season 5's 'The One with the Cop,' where his character, Ross, struggles to move a couch. Schwimmer humorously said, "Sometimes it's startling... But also it's just a reminder that the series lives on.