Sexual harassment was an absolute no-no on the Friends set, because the stars and producers were totally against bad behavior.
David Schwimmer has launched a new short film series highlighting the issues of harassment, admitting it’s everywhere in Hollywood – but he was part of the Friends ‘police’ who made sure that cast and crew were comfortable at all times.
“Our set was really, pretty cool,” the actor tells Cosmopolitan. “I think that’s in part because of who we were as actors, and the executive producers on the show were not going to let anything like that happen. On other shows and other sets, it was worse.”
Schwimmer insists there’s still a stigma attached to actresses and female directors who stand up and speak out about sexual harassment on film and TV sets.
“The reality is there’s still fear of retaliation,” he explains. “There’s going to be some kind of repercussion… If you post it to social media, bye bye to your job. Am I right? It’s often a he-said-she-said (situation). How do you prove this?
“We’re trying to get at the culture and generate as much awareness, for men, as well. We just feel like men have trouble really understanding where the line is.”
His Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow recently revealed the Friends set wasn’t completely a harassment- free zone – she had an awkward encounter with an unnamed guest star.
“I rehearsed without make-up most of the week, and then on show night, I’m in hair and make-up, and was told, ‘Oh wow… Now you’re f**kable!’ (by the guest star),” she recalled during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live. “That’s bad behavior.”
