Jennifer Aniston recently shared some behind-the-scenes insights from her time on the popular TV show “Friends,” revealing an interesting tidbit about her co-star Lisa Kudrow’s feelings toward filming in front of a live studio audience.
Creating a TV show involves a lot of preparation and technical arrangements to ensure everything runs without a hitch during recording. From sound checks to lighting setups, every detail matters to make the final product flawless.
One common practice, especially in sitcoms like “Friends,” is filming in front of a live audience. This approach helps actors and producers gauge how well jokes are landing with viewers and can make the show feel more spontaneous compared to using a canned laugh track.
However, not all actors are fans of this format.
In an interview with Quinta Brunson for Variety series, Actors on Actors, Aniston revealed that Lisa Kudrow actually disliked the audience’s reactions during filming. “Lisa Kudrow, by the way, hated when the audience laughed,” Aniston shared. “She’d be like, ‘I’m not done! It’s not that funny!’”
Despite the challenges that come with live audiences, the camaraderie among the “Friends” cast members remains strong. Aniston touched on their lasting friendship, saying, “The fact that it’s had this long, wonderful life and it still means a lot to people is one of the greatest gifts I think all five of us — all six of us — we never could imagine.”
Aniston also shared how they continue to support each other, mentioning recent interactions with her former co-stars. “And we see each other. I talked on FaceTime with Court[eney Cox] last night for an hour, and Lisa and the boys, and we just have a really — it’s a family forever.”
Fans and viewers also weighed in on the use of live laughter during recordings. One person commented on the potential drawbacks, noting, “On the one hand, I totally get it. It can be distracting and ruin a take as much as enhance it. On the other, she was a Groundling so she should have been used to awful audiences.”
Another expressed a dislike for laugh tracks, stating, “I can’t watch anything with a laugh track, and I’ve tried. It’s just too annoying, fake, and forced.”
A particularly eerie comment about laugh tracks highlighted their sometimes outdated nature: “Just think how long ago some of those laugh tracks were recorded. You’re listening to dead people laugh at… Whatever they were really laughing about.”
This peek into the making of “Friends” and the actors’ experiences provides fans with a deeper appreciation of what it takes to create the moments they cherish on screen.