"Friends" producer and director: "Matthew Perry lives forever, every five minutes someone, somewhere, watches the series"
In an exclusive interview with Walla! Culture, Kevin Bright, one of the top creators of "Friends," discusses the series' delicate handling of the 9/11 attacks, his memories of Matthew Perry, and the new documentary he produced about October 7 survivors. Bright explains why the show avoided current events and why there will be no reboot.
In an exclusive interview with Walla! Culture, Kevin Bright, one of the top creators of "Friends," discusses the series' delicate handling of the September 11, 2001 attacks. According to him, the series chose not to address the disaster directly in the plot, but hinted at it by placing an American flag in Joey's apartment and in the "Central Perk" coffee shop. Bright explains that the reason for the series' enduring popularity is precisely its avoidance of current events, politics, and religion. He notes that after the attacks, Warner Bros. studios received threats and filming was conducted without an audience. Later, they invited survivors' families to watch the filming in Los Angeles, an experience he describes as "amazing." Bright, 71, talks about the new documentary he produced, "The Bridge," which deals with survivors of the October 7 massacre, whose premiere took place at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. He also refers to the birthday of his late friend Matthew Perry, which was yesterday, and says: "He continues to 'live' every day, all over the world. Apparently the show is watched every five minutes somewhere in the world." Bright shares his strongest memory of Perry, from their first meeting on the series "Dream On," and emphasizes his creativity and perseverance. Bright says the audience understood before the creators that the main story was Ross and Rachel, and that they were "the engine of the series." He explains that the successful auditions of the six actors brought the material to life and made it funny. Bright describes the process of rewriting scenes until getting laughter from the audience. He recalls the 2021 reunion special, which was "the happiest moment" of his time during the pandemic. Bright clarifies that there will be no reboot of "Friends" as long as the series continues to run, and he is not interested in returning to make a sitcom. His favorite episode is the one where Rachel gives birth to her daughter, due to the combination of drama, emotion, and comedy.