What do you remember about your Friends audition?

There were three Joeys lined up, but they were all different. One was like a blond-haired skinny kind of skateboarder-looking guy. And then there was me, the New York Italian-looking guy. The thing is you never really know what people are looking for in those situatiations.

How would you describe the atmosphere behind the scenes at Friends?

Everyone´s always knocking on wood hoping that things stay as perfect as they´ve been so far. Personally, I´m just incredibly thrilled and grateful to be working. Before Friends came along, I´d sold my truck, I´d sold my motorcycle, and I´d moved out of the house I was living in to a smaller apartment. Everything was looking pretty damn grim.

Did you feel as though the show´s cast got along right from the beginning?

Yeah, that was probably the greatest thing about the whole first season. We all just clicked as actors from day one. And from there I´ve really grown to care about these people. And I think we all feel the same way.

So you actually do consider the other cast members to be your friends now?

Absolutely. On the other hand, I get calls from my other friends and they´re all like "Where the hell have you been, man?" These days I barely have time to make sure that I have enough clean underwear in the drawer.

Tell me why a lusty lad like Joey has been so chaste with the female friends.

It´s a line you establish that you don´t cross. I know I´ve been in situations like that with my own female friends. I think that when you really cherish the friendship, you know that if you go beyond that line, you may ruin the whole thing. And the thruth is that there´s something nice about having a woman´s point of view on things just as a friend.

How likely would fans be to find you in some groovy coffee-house like Central Perk?

I never hang out in coffeehouses. Never. To me it´s just a metaphor for any gathering place, a socially acceptable place for us all to congrerate. A bar´s been done. We were all at a bar one night for Jennifer Aniston´s birthday and Jim Burrows - who helped make Cheers what it was - came with us. He put his hands one the bar and said, "You know, I think there´s a show in this."

When people recognize you out in the public, what do they want to know?

The most common question I get is "Are you guys really good friends?" There are times when I tell them that I don´t want to talk about those friggin´ people anymore. And sometimes I tell them the truth, which is that we all get along great.

So what kind of fan mail do you and Joey get?

Mostly it´s just been requests for photos; then there´s the woman who sent Schwimmer her underwear.

Do you have a favourite Friends episode

I really like "The one with the birth," when Ross´ baby is born. There´s a great story line, and I was really proud of Joey in that one.

Any theories about why everyone seems to be embracing the show?

I think one reason is that the six of us are so different from one another that everyone relates to one or more of us. Then there´s the fact that the show is really good. That helps