Friends Director Sent Cast To Vegas On Private Jet Before First Show Aired

The cast of Friends were sent on a trip to Vegas in a private jet before the show first aired, with the director telling them it would be the last time they could go out 'anonymously'.

A photo taken on the plane on the way there shows the six fresh-faced actors excitedly enjoying each other's company. They were reportedly shown the pilot episode for the first time while they were on board.

Courteney Cox posted the throwback on her Instagram in 2019, captioning it: "The one where the six of us went to Vegas and no one knew we were F.R.I.E.N.D.S yet."

Instagram/@courteneycoxofficial

Jennifer Aniston spoke to talk show host Ellen DeGeneres about the photo after Courteney posted it.

Aniston said: "Oh, aren't we so cute? That was a trip to Las Vegas before the show aired.

"Jimmy Burrows, our director, decided, he said, 'I want to take the cast to Vegas and I want to take them to dinner.' And he took us to dinner at Spago at Caesars Palace, and we were like, 'We're so fancy.'"

Burrows had told them they needed to be prepared for what was to come.

Warner Bros

Aniston recalled he said: "'This world can be pretty dark, and you guys gotta really stick together and take care of each other'.

"And we took that to heart for sure, obviously.

"And then he handed us each a couple hundred bucks and said, 'Now go into the casino and go gamble because this is the last time you'll be able to walk into a casino anonymously.'

"And we had no clue what he was talking about... and sure enough, that was the last time we were able [to do that]."

HBO Max

Matt LeBlanc remembers the trip too.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter on a podcast, LeBlanc, who played Joey, said: "Jim Burrows took us all to Vegas. None of us had any money and he gave us all $500 to gamble with.

"We went to Spago and we sat in the main room at Spago, at the very centre - a big round table.

"The seven of us, six cast members and Jim Burrows and he said, while we were sitting there eating dinner. He said, 'Look around,' he said 'You see that?' and we all looked around, like, what?

"And he said 'take a good look, because that's the last time you're going to be able to do this, the six of you together'. And he was right!"

Topics: TV and Film, Friends

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events. Soon realising you can't pay your bills with guestlist, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward