Anna Faris Felt 'Wrong' Taking Part in Group Hugs While Filming the Final Episodes of “Friends”

Victoria EdelFri, June 5, 2026 at 9:05 PM UTC

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Anna Faris in 'Friends' (left); Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry in 'Friends' (right)Credit: NBC -

Anna Faris reflected on her time as part of the cast of Friends during the show's final season

Faris played Erica, the birth mother of Monica and Chandler's adopted children

Faris said that when the cast invited her into their emotional group hugs at the end of the show, it felt "wrong"

Anna Faris felt a little unsure about her place in the Friends cast.

Faris, 49, spoke about her time on the beloved sitcom in a June 5 video published by Variety. Friends ran from 1994 to 2004, but Faris' character, Erica, appeared in only the final episodes of the series, at the end of season 10.

She made her first appearance as Erica, a pregnant woman who ultimately decides to let Chandler (the late Matthew Perry) and Monica (Courteney Cox) adopt her child, in "The One with the Birth Mother," which was the ninth episode of season 10. She only appeared in four episodes, including the first part of the two-part finale, where she gives birth to not one baby, but twins. Chandler and Monica adopt both and name them Jack and Erica.

But even though she appeared on the show, Faris wasn't sure she deserved to be part of the fanfare that came with the show's last season.

From left: Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Anna Faris, Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox in 'Friends'Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

"I do remember like these sentimental group hugs," she said, referring to when she appeared in the episode where she gave birth. "We would [have] finished rehearsal, and standing on the floor, and I would be the only person that would be about two feet away from the group hug."

The cast members weren't trying to exclude Faris, she said. "They would be like, 'Come on, come on,' which also felt inappropriate," she explained. She felt overwhelmed and told the cast, "You guys, this feels wrong."

Looking back now, she knows it was "so special" and she loved "getting to shoot in front of the live audience." She said, "Those people in that audience really knew what it meant to would get to witness the end of this incredible show."

The Friends cast also included Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller and Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani. Paul Rudd joined the cast as Mike Hannigan, Phoebe's love interest, in season nine; they married in season ten.

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Faris opened up to PEOPLE in 2024 about her memories of working with Perry during that final season. "It was an honor, and he was just an incredible person," she said of Perry, who died at age 54 in October 2023.

From left: Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer in the finale of 'Friends;Credit: NBC

"I wish I knew him better. It feels a little audacious for me to speak too much about somebody that I felt like I had brief interactions with, but they were wonderful and I am honored to be a part of the show," she said.

Faris said that she believed Perry was the person who advocated for her to join the cast as Erica. "He told me that he'd seen me in Lost in Translation and he thought I was good," the Scary Moviestar said.

"I worked mostly with Courteney and Matthew, and they were unbelievable to me. They were so kind," she said. "I mean, it was such an intimidating idea. I mean, to give birth on Friends. Friends? The final season?"

She joked that though the show is a hit in syndication (and on streaming), "They don't rerun too much of the last season because I think I get a check for 9 cents every, you know, four months."

After her tenure on Friends, she starred in comedy films like 2008's The House Bunny and 2001's What's Your Number? From 2013 to 2020, she starred in her own sitcom Mom. This June, she returns to the Scary Movie franchise, and in August will star in Spa Weekend.

Scary Movie is in theaters now.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”