Director James Burrows criticized the actress Helen Baxendale claiming she had some issues with Emily Waltham’s portrayal Friends because “it wasn’t funny.”
In fact, the director stated:
She was sweet, but not particularly funny. In sitcoms and any rom-coms, the funny is as important as the chemistry.
Burroughs argued that Baxendale’s amiable and polite demeanor was not enough to be compared to Jennifer Aniston. The actress, in his opinion, was actually not so funny, and Schwimmer found it somewhat difficult to pronounce these lines:
It was like clapping with one hand. You need someone who can laugh. Sometimes you start an arc and nothing works, so you have to get rid of that person. If this is a short presence, then this is a quick goodbye.
Baxendale played the show’s fourth season girlfriend, David Schwimmer’s character Ross, who then made a mistake during the wedding. In fact, the protagonist mistakenly named her Rachel.
The actress, who also starred in the fifth season, instead asked to leave the stage as she became pregnant and returned to the UK.
Fans online were divided between those who defended the actress, arguing that the criticism was too harsh and undeserved, and those who instead supported Burroughs’ statements, expressing their disapproval of the character.
What do you think of the criticism of Helen Baxendale by the Friends director?
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Source: New York Post.