Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox's characters on 'Friends' were replaced by stand-ins for some scenes
Even after 20 years of its conclusion, 'Friends' continues to dominate fans' hearts, with both Millennials and Gen Z continuing to praise the timeless sitcom. The popularity of the show was further confirmed by a Netflix special, 'Friends: The Reunion,' where cast members not only reminisced about the golden years of filming but also shared interesting anecdotes. While the ardent fans believe they know everything about the celebrated sitcom, the claim warrants a second look. The hugely successful show, which ran for 10 magnificent seasons, is like a mysterious bag filled with untold stories.
View this post on Instagram
No matter how many times you watch the celebrated sitcom, new and interesting details continue to emerge. Eagle-eyed fans have quickly spotted two glaring errors that are impossible to ignore. The surprising mistake comes into play in 'Friends' Season 8's 'The One With Rachel’s Date,' as per Screenrant. The scene in question features Monica Geller (Courtney Cox) and Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) at the center, where the duo are seen chilling at their usual spot, Central Perk. The girls are seen chatting and sipping their coffee, peacefully enjoying each other's company. However, a big mistake is revealed when, instead of Monica, a different woman appears. The error becomes apparent when the camera zooms in on Phoebe, and, on the right side of the screen, a completely different woman appears. The woman had an eerily similar resemblance to Monica but was obviously not her. It turns out that Monica was mysteriously swapped out with a stand-in, almost as if by magic.
However, it is not the only mistake that was visible in the show, as the same mistake is repeated in Season 9's 'The One With The Mugging,' where this time Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) was made the scapegoat. The particular scene shows Rachel entering into Monica’s apartment to share the scoop about Joey Tribbiani's (Matt LeBlanc) audition. When the scene zooms in for a close-up of Joey, Rachel is replaced by another woman, and what is even more noticeable is the lack of effort—this stand-in wasn’t even wearing the same outfit as her.
Of course, using stand-ins is common practice for filming background shots, tricky stunts, or quick close-ups. However, when poorly executed, it affects the continuity of the show. Furthermore, 'Friends' continues to be a cultural phenomenon that keeps giving, and a stand-in was not the only issue. The show also has quite a lot of plot holes, with one glaring one happening in the early episodes. In Season 1, Monica and Rachel are shown living in Apartment 5, whereas Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and Joey are their neighbours living across the hall in Apartment 4, as per US Weekly. Later in the seasons, the apartment numbers change to 19 and 20, which could be explained by the group living in a high-rise building, but this remains a significant plot hole.