"Friends" was the show that turned Courteney Cox into a star, but the actor revealed to TODAY's Willie Geist that her memory of working on the show is spotty.
When talking to Geist during an extended "Sunday Sitdown" interview, Cox joked that she should've rewatched the comedy series before appearing on "Friends: The Reunion" in May 2021.
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“I should’ve watched all ten seasons because when I did the reunion and was asked questions, I was like, ‘I don’t remember being there,’” she laughed. “Yeah. I don’t remember filming so many episodes."
"I see it on TV sometimes and I stop and go, 'Oh my God, I don’t remember this at all,'" she added. "But it’s so funny."
When asked why she didn't remember filming the show, Cox said it's simply because she has a "bad memory."
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"It’s really basic," she laughed. "I don’t remember any trauma in my childhood, but I have, like, three memories. I don’t know. I don't know why."
Cox expressed some disappointment there aren't more physical mementos of her time on the show.
"I’m kinda bummed that we didn’t spend more time taking pictures. Because I don’t have a lot to look back at," she said.
The actor admitted that she didn't know how popular the show was going to be after it aired in 1994, but once it took off, her whole life changed in an instant. While her memory of working on the show is shaky, she does have one clear memory of a trip with the cast before the show aired. Show director James "Jim" Burrows took the "Friends" cast to Las Vegas and told them to enjoy the moment.
“He gave us all $500. And he said, ‘I want you to take care, like, really take notice of this moment because it will be the last time that all six of you together can walk through a casino,'" she said. "And we were like, “Really?” And it was true. We never could never do that (again).”
"I mean, I don’t wanna sound like, ‘Look at us.’ We’re not, you know, the Beatles. But people feel like they know you," she continued. "If we were all to walk down the street, six of us, it would be, I think it would be really interesting to people.”
Although the last episodes of Friends aired in 2004, you can still watch the series on HBO Max, which has brought it to new audiences. Cox said that sometimes, it's like the popularity has never faded.
"I knew it was special, but the fact that it’s still special is strange. I was walking out of the hotel today, or yesterday, and I said to someone, 'How did I get popular again?'" Cox laughed. "I mean, I really feel like there’s paparazzi and it’s because 'Friends' will, I think, never die."
"It doesn’t matter what generation is watching it. It holds up. I think the comedy is relevant," Cox continued. "People can relate to every character. I don’t care how big the cell phone is. The computer you can’t lift. Life is that way."
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