She was on the set — but she wasn’t quite part of the moment. My Spy the Eternal City star Anna Faris is opening up about what it was really like to step into one of television’s most beloved shows right as the curtain was coming down. In a June 5 video interview with Variety, the actress reflected on her brief but memorable run as Erica — the birth mother of Monica and Chandler’s adopted twins — during the final season of Friends.
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Two Feet Away From the Group Hug
The Estate star Faris appeared in just four episodes of Season 10, including the landmark two-part series finale, where her character gives birth to twins that Chandler and Monica name Jack and Erica. But despite being on set during some of the most emotional moments in the show’s history, she never quite felt like she belonged in them.
“I do remember these sentimental group hugs,” the 49-year-old recalled. “We would finish rehearsal, standing on the floor, and I would be the only person about two feet away from the group hug.”
It wasn’t that the cast was shutting her out. Quite the opposite — they kept pulling her in. But even that felt uncomfortable.
“They would be like, ‘Come on, come on,’ which also felt inappropriate,” she said. “I told them, ‘You guys, this feels wrong.'”
An Intimidating Entry Point
For Faris, stepping onto the Friends set wasn’t just a guest role — it was walking into the final chapter of a cultural institution. She was candid about how overwhelming that felt.
“It was such an intimidating idea. I mean, to give birth on Friends. Friends? The final season?” she said.
Still, looking back, she considers the experience “so special” — particularly the energy of the live studio audience, who she said fully understood the weight of what they were witnessing.
“Those people in that audience really knew what it meant to get to witness the end of this incredible show,” Faris said.
The Matthew Perry Connection
Faris has previously spoken about what it meant to share scenes with the late Matthew Perry, who passed away in October 2023 at age 54. In a 2024 conversation with People, she credited Perry as the person who pushed for her casting in the first place.
“He told me that he’d seen me in Lost in Translation and he thought I was good,” she said.
She was careful not to overstate their connection, but spoke warmly about their time together. “I wish I knew him better. It feels a little audacious to speak too much about somebody I had brief interactions with — but they were wonderful, and I am honored to be a part of the show.”
Her working relationship with Courteney Cox left a strong impression as well. “They were unbelievable to me. They were so kind,” she said of both Cox and Perry.
What’s Next for Faris
Since her Friends days, Faris has kept a steady presence on screen — from The House Bunny to seven seasons on the CBS sitcom Mom. This month, she returns to the franchise that made her a comedy star, with the new Scary Movie installment now in theaters. She’s also set to appear in Spa Weekend, arriving in August.
As for Friends residuals from those final-season episodes? She joked the checks aren’t exactly life-changing — arriving every few months for about nine cents.