The Friends Cast Had A Secret Tradition Before Filming Every Episode

"Friends," aka one of the best sitcoms of all time, follows a group of buddies who hang out in New York City. Whether they're drinking coffee in Central Perk or watching nude exhibitionists walk around their apartments, it's a show about a group of pals who are connected at the hip, supporting each other through thick and thin, and having fun along the way. 

What's more, that sense of camaraderie existed behind the scenes, as the sitcom's cast — Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and the late Matthew Perry — had a ritual to pump each other up before filming each episode. Cox recalled the experience during an appearance at the Inc. 5000 conference, as documented by PEOPLE:

"We'd get in a huddle and we would say, 'Alright everybody! Good luck!' And we'd give each other a hug and a high five."

It's been over 20 years since "Friends" aired its final episode, and the cast has moved on to other projects since then. However, the fact Cox is still sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes about her experiences on the sitcom proves that it's still immensely popular. That said, the days of group huddles between the former castmates appear to be over, as they barely get to see each other these days.

One of the downsides of being an adult is losing contact with good friends. People get jobs, move away, and start families, leaving little time for them to meet up with their old pals for coffee. The final season of "Friends" touches on this theme when Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) get a house in the suburbs and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) almost moves to Paris, which adds a bittersweet feeling to the proceedings. However, the cast can also relate to this feeling in real life, as they drifted apart after the show ended.

During an appearance on the "Dinner's on Me" podcast (via Variety), Lisa Kudrow revealed that she and her fellow castmates barely saw each other in the years between between the show's final episode and HBO Max's "Friends: The Reunion" special in 2021 — but there was no bad blood between them either. As she put it:

"We'd only had dinner, the six of us, once before since the show ended. Just us at someone's house and [we] had dinner, and like, didn't miss a beat."

It's highly unlikely that "Friends" will ever be revived — at least not with the original cast members involved — but it's good to know that the actors are still on good terms, despite their lives and careers taking them on different paths. That said, they will probably get asked about "Friends" for as long as they're willing to talk about it, as it's one of those shows that defined a generation.