Lisa Kudrow Has Already Pre-Shot Footage For the Friends Reunion

On today’s episode of Literally!…With Rob Lowe, TV icon Lisa Kudrow appeared to discuss her career, and of course, it wasn’t long before Friends — and the planned Friends reunion on HBO Max — came up. The special, originally planned to air close to the launch of HBO Max, was delayed when they were unable to film it due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out shortly before the production was set to take place. Kudrow is set to appear in the special alongside her Friends costars Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.

Kudrow told Lowe that the special would shoot “in the early spring.” She also reiterated that unlike many of the pandemic-themed reunion shows that have emerged since March, Friends isn’t a scripted production; it’s just the first time the actors have all filmed together since the show went off the air.

“There’s different facets to it; some already-shot packages of things,” Kudrow explained. “I don’t know, fully. I really don’t, but I pre-shot something for it already, so we’re definitely doing it, because I already shot a little something.”

Kudrow says that she believes not only Central Perk, but other sets from the series that she has not been in since the show was airing.

You can listen to the full interview at this link, or find it on your favorite podcast app.

Back in November, Warner Bros. targeted a March filming date for the Friends reunion special.

Over the summer, reports emerged that Cox was a motivating factor for her co-stars to sign on for the special with the entire cast meeting at her Malibu beach house to hash it all out. The dinner was probably supposed to be a night for reminiscing, but things quickly took shape. WarnerMedia executives had discussed the plans with Cox earlier that day. Once they laid out their vision for the service, they let the actress’s cozy atmosphere and the power of nostalgia do the rest.

Cox has never shied away from dipping her toes into a little Friends nostalgia; when she headlined Cougar Town, a sitcom from Ted Lasso‘s Bill Lawrence and Scrubs‘s Kevin Biegel, there were episodes that featured guest appearances by Aniston and Perry, littered with inside jokes that made light of the Friends connection and poked at the actors’ shared history.

All 236 episodes of Friends are available now on HBO Max.