The 'Friends' Open Up

April 26, 2004

"Cheers" did it. "M*A*S*H" did it. Now our favorite "Friends" are calling it quits. As the fans prepare for the inevitable May 6th end, TV Guide sits down with the sexy sextet to chat about where it all began, the unexpected backlash, and the question everyone wants the answer to: Will Ross and Rachel ever get back -- and stay -- together?

"I think it's very likely Ross and Rachel will get together at the end," TV Guide senior correspondent BRUCE FRETTS says. "When I was talking to DAVID SCHWIMMER, I think he slipped up."

When Fretts asked the star if he plans on guest appearing on MATT LeBLANC's spinoff "Joey," Schwimmer revealed maybe more than he should have! "I'm hoping to, if JENNIFER (ANISTON) and I do it," he answered. "Maybe we come as a visiting couple!"

No matter where the characters end up, Schwimmer has a theory as to why the show was a hit from the start. "We were six pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly," he says. "To have chemistry with one person is amazing, but to have chemistry among six people is a complete fluke."

In the issue hitting newsstands Thursday, the pals recall when there was a bit of a backlash towards the overexposed group during season two. "We wanted the show to be successful, so we did all the press," LeBlanc states. "It turned around and bit us in the a$$."

But the show got over the hump and endured for 10 long years, with numerous guest stars along the way, such as REESE WITHERSPOON and ALEC BALDWIN, who told the weekly, "I'd never done a sitcom before, and it was terrifying." As much as the cast loved working with the superstars, they felt the show was best when it was left to the main six. "It felt like the only stranger in the room was the viewer," LeBlanc says. "It was somehow more comforting."

But all good things must come to an end and for the cast, the finale could be summed up with one word -- bittersweet. "As much as you want something to end and are ready to move on, nothing can prepare you for what it feels like when it comes," Aniston says.

So how does the ensemble plan to carry forth? Well, don't expect to see Aniston and hubby BRAD PITT co-starring anytime soon. "The repercussions of couples doing movies are not always positive," she says. "We wouldn't want to go out there with a bull's-eye on our heads!" But do plan on seeing her in the remake of the 1966 heist flick 'Gambit.'

LISA KUDROW will be both behind the camera -- as a producer for two pilots -- and in front of it in the upcoming DON ROOS film 'Happy Endings.' LeBlanc will keep busy with "Joey" and MATTHEW PERRY is taking it easy and just hoping to get in some tennis.

And what about the pregnant COURTENEY COX? "I'll do it all," she reveals. "Act, produce, and be a mom!"

- Yahoo! Entertainment