\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>‘Friends’ Cast: Where Are They Now?<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tOn September 22, 1994, TV audiences got six new pals with the cast of the hit NBC series\u00a0Friends. Now, decades later, we\u2019ve watched\u00a0Jennifer Aniston\u00a0(Rachel Green),\u00a0Courteney Cox\u00a0(Monica Geller),\u00a0Lisa Kudrow\u00a0(Phoebe Buffay),\u00a0Matt LeBlanc\u00a0(Joey Tribbiani),\u00a0Matthew Perry\u00a0(Chandler Bing) and\u00a0David Schwimmer (Ross Geller) take on numerous other roles through the years. The friend group went from aimless 20-somethings to grown-ups with [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
According to the Madagascar<\/em> star, Miramax agreed to let Schwimmer direct the 1998 film Since You\u2019ve Been Gone<\/em> in return for him starring in three movies for the studio. Schwimmer\u2019s directorial debut was set to feature actors from Chicago-based Lookingglass Theatre Company<\/a>, which he co-founded.<\/p>\n\u201cAll these unknown actors but I was going to put them on the map, basically,\u201d the Kissing a Fool<\/em> star revealed.<\/p>\nHe continued, \u201cAll my best friends in the world in my theater company quit their jobs so they could be in this film over the summer, which was going to be a six-week shoot in Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/David-Schwimmer-Talks-Brutal-Decision-to-Turn-Down-Men-in-Black-Changed-His-Career-Trajectory-Tommy-Lee-Jones-and-Will-Smith.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith<\/span> Cover Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhile preparing for his passion project, Schwimmer got a potentially life-changing offer that he\u2019s never forgotten.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in pre-production, hired the whole crew, everything\u2019s going and that\u2019s when I was offered Men in Black<\/em>,\u201d the sitcom star explained. \u201cIt was a direct conflict with this. My summer window from Friends<\/em> was four months. I had a four-month hiatus and Men in Black<\/em> was going to shoot exactly when I was going to direct this film with my company.\u201d<\/p>\nMore than two decades later, Schwimmer shared that he still isn\u2019t completely sure he \u201cmade the right choice,\u201d but he prioritized the project he\u2019d been planning with his friends at the theater company.<\/p>\n
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You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/David-Schwimmer-Talks-Brutal-Decision-to-Turn-Down-Men-in-Black-Changed-His-Career-Trajectory-3.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n David Schwimmer<\/span> David M. Benett\/Dave Benett\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nConfirming that it\u2019s important to \u201cfollow your gut,\u201d Schwimmer reflected on his fateful decision to reject a role in Men in Black<\/em>.<\/p>\n\u201cLook, I\u2019m really aware, whatever 20 years later maybe more, Men in Black<\/em> would have made me a movie star,\u201d the actor said \u2018If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.\u201d<\/p>\nSchwimmer has directed multiple projects since he made his directorial debut in 1998 with Since You\u2019ve Been Gone<\/em>, but we can\u2019t help but wonder what may have happened if the actor had starred in Men in Black<\/em> instead.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cAll these unknown actors but I was going to put them on the map, basically,\u201d the Kissing a Fool<\/em> star revealed.<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cAll my best friends in the world in my theater company quit their jobs so they could be in this film over the summer, which was going to be a six-week shoot in Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n While preparing for his passion project, Schwimmer got a potentially life-changing offer that he\u2019s never forgotten.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in pre-production, hired the whole crew, everything\u2019s going and that\u2019s when I was offered Men in Black<\/em>,\u201d the sitcom star explained. \u201cIt was a direct conflict with this. My summer window from Friends<\/em> was four months. I had a four-month hiatus and Men in Black<\/em> was going to shoot exactly when I was going to direct this film with my company.\u201d<\/p>\n More than two decades later, Schwimmer shared that he still isn\u2019t completely sure he \u201cmade the right choice,\u201d but he prioritized the project he\u2019d been planning with his friends at the theater company.<\/p>\n You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Confirming that it\u2019s important to \u201cfollow your gut,\u201d Schwimmer reflected on his fateful decision to reject a role in Men in Black<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, I\u2019m really aware, whatever 20 years later maybe more, Men in Black<\/em> would have made me a movie star,\u201d the actor said \u2018If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.\u201d<\/p>\n Schwimmer has directed multiple projects since he made his directorial debut in 1998 with Since You\u2019ve Been Gone<\/em>, but we can\u2019t help but wonder what may have happened if the actor had starred in Men in Black<\/em> instead.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>
\n Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith<\/span> Cover Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThank You!<\/h3>\n
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\n David Schwimmer<\/span> David M. Benett\/Dave Benett\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n