Summary
- Stephen Colbert and David Schwimmer have a history dating back to their college days and Colbert admitted to being jealous of Schwimmer's early Hollywood success.
- Fans were thrilled that Colbert didn't ask Schwimmer any questions about Friends during the interview, focusing instead on his past and current work.
- Schwimmer faced struggles in his early career, working as a waiter and doing small recurring roles before landing his breakthrough role on Friends.
There's a reason Stephen Colbert is among the top interviewers in the world. Not only is the host entertaining, but he asks questions that aren't entirely obvious. During Matthew Perry's last interview with Stephen Colbert, he discussed the reason he didn't appear in Don't Look Up. In addition, there wasn't any talk of Friends throughout their interview, focusing on other questions in regard to Matthew Perry's health.
The same held true during Colbert's interview alongside David Schwimmer. The host wasn't asking questions about his past on Friends. Instead, the host took a unique approach, discussing his past alongside Schwimmer. Colbert made quite the reveal, explaining why he was jealous of the actor during their younger days.
We'll also take a closer look at what the fans thought of the interview, and the struggles Schwimmer faced while climbing up the Hollywood ranks.
Stephen Colbert And David Schwimmer Went To College Together, But Schwimmer Was The First One To Land A Gig In Hollywood
A lot of fans were not aware prior to their interview, but David Schwimmer and Stephen Colbert have an extensive history together that goes back to their college days. The two studied in theater at Northwestern University. Colbert even had a throwback picture to prove it, showing the two looking unrecognizable back in the day.
Schwimmer joked that Colbert was the reason he decided to delve into traditional acting instead. “I could never keep up. Your mind is just so ridiculously fast,” Schwimmer said. “I actually was very grateful for being in that group with you, because I realized, ‘Oh, that’s why I can’t do that. I should go into acting, and not that."
Colbert shot the praise back to Schwimmer, admitting he was envious of his early Hollywood success. "I remember when you came in because you had already done something in Hollywood. And I was like really jealous. I'll never work if David Schwimmer has work."
Schwimmer would joke that this was the reason why his soup tasted weird when he visited the restaurant Colbert was working at during the time frame.
Fans had a blast watching the interview. Especially given the questions Colbert was asking David Schwimmer.
Fans Praised Stephen Colbert For Not Bringing Up Anything Friends Related During His Interview With David Schwimmer
Typically, whenever the main six of Friends appear on a talk show, they are asked about their past on the series. However, during Stephen Colbert's interview alongside David Schwimmer, his past on the comedy wasn't brought up once. Instead, the focus was on Schwimmer's past before entering Hollywood, along with his new project at the time.
Fans appreciated this, and praised the interview between the two.
One of the most liked comments on the YouTube video reads, "This might be the first time I'm seeing a Friends star on a late night talk show without any question related to Friends. Refreshing from Colbert!"
Another fan writes, "He was the best actor in Friends. He could act his way to anything. I loved him, hated him, found him annoying, then sweet, generous, then petty... He was the character that changed the most in 10 years of Friends."
"This was such a sweet, calm interview and David Schwimmer is so gentle and soft-spoken, I love it," another fan writes.
Fans especially enjoyed Schwimmer discussing his time prior to making it in Hollywood. In truth, the actor faced a lot of struggles prior to getting his break on Friends.
David Schwimmer Was Doing Cameos While Working As A Waiter During The Star Of His Hollywood Career
"I would get small recurring roles — three episodes here, four episodes there. Working that way, you never make enough money to quit waiting tables.” That was David Schwimmer's reality at the start. Eventually, he would start landing major roles, but the actor still felt unsatisfied behind the scenes.
One of those roles was on the show, Monty. Schwimmer almost banned his Friends offer after the role, feeling like the show took away his joy for acting in a comedy. David felt like a prop on the show after he was constantly turned down for trying to put his own creative output on the character.
It all worked out in the end as David was able to land Friends without even auditioning for the part.
"David Schwimmer we worked with before, and the writers had him in mind for the part of Ross. Lisa and Jennifer and Matthew and Matt we cast from auditions. Courteney we originally wanted to play Rachel, and she insisted she wasn't Rachel but Monica. And she was right."
Looking at the show's success, it is clear that casting for the main six was perfect. We can't even imagine the show would be like without a single character in the mix.
