[from The Official Companion, by David Wild]

How difficult is it for the cast to travel in packs now?
When there are two or more of us out there in public, it can get kind of out of hand, which is cool but a little weird. There´s definitely a cost-benefit analysis to be made when it comes to being on a successful show. It´s great to get all the positive feedback, but the cost is that a private life becomes more and more difficult. I remember when we first went on a trip to Vegas and Jim Burrows said, "Enjoy it, because this is the last time that you are going to hang out all together without a commotion." We were both excited and terrified of that premonition.

Do you miss having the time to do more theater work?
Yes. Believe me, it´s a huge and constant conflict.

Did the Friends cast start bonding right away?
When you´re doing a pilot the reality is that you don´t bond too much because anyone of you could be yanked at that point. It wasn´t until like six episodes that we realized we were all here for good.

Do you find it odd that more of the friends on the show don´t sleep together?
No, I have a lot of girlfriends whom I´ve never been involved with. Those kinds of lines get drawn pretty early on. At the same time, I don´t think there´s ever a male-female relationship where at least one of the people isn´t attracted.

How many months of intensive research on paleontology did you have to do to fully prepare you to play Ross?
At first I actually did some research, and read up on paleontology. Then I realized that the whole subject never came up.

Still, I get the definite sense that Ross is an excellent paleontologist.
Oh, thank you very much.

After all the rumors of inter-species on-set tensions, what are your feelings toward the monkey?
God bless the monkey.

With all the success of the show, how do you squeeze in your non-televised friends?
The problem is making time when you seem to have none. The toughest challenge is prioritizing your relationships.

What kind of reaction do you get from people about Carol leaving Ross for another woman?
A couple times I had guys on the street say, "Dude, my friend went through the same thing." I have to explain that it´s never happened to me and I´m actually not planning on it either.

Is there any sense of competitiveness between the cast members about who gets the most media attention?
That sort of thing can cause tension, but only if you let it. We always talk things out among us.

After other less happy TV experiences, do you feel especially proud of this show?
Unbelievably. I´m really proud of every show that we´ve done. And what´s so empowering about being on this show is that they really respect the actors.

Why do you think it is that Friends connects so powerfully with it´s audience?
I think it´s a fantasy family at a time when family unfortunately is so dysfunctional for this generation. The writing´s really amazing and the cast has so much chemistry it reeks.