Paul Rudd Recalls His Thoughts During ‘Friends’ Finale, ‘I Shouldn’t Be Here’
Paul Rudd’s career has taken him across multiple mediums and dropped him into various roles. He’s played a superhero, a beleaguered husband, a politician and heir to a family fortune, and various love interests over the years. To Friends fans, Rudd will always be Mike Hannigan, the man who finally won Pheobe Buffay’s heart. Paul Rudd has spoken openly about his time on the series and what it meant to him. Most recently, he opened up about the vibe on set during the Friends finale.
Paul Rudd said he felt like he was seeing things he shouldn’t during the filming of the ‘Friends’ finale
Paul Rudd was on hand to film the Friends finale back in 2004. His inclusion in that final episode wasn’t unexpected. While he appeared in a little more than 6% of the show’s more than 200 episodes, his character was deeply integrated into the fabric of the core group by the time the series ended. Still, Rudd felt like an outsider.
This month, Rudd appeared on Heart to discuss his career, and his time on Friends understandably came up. The Ant-Man star recalled filming the finale episode and how odd it felt to be in the room with the cast, who were understandably emotional about the end of the series. He recalled thinking, “I shouldn’t be here. I’m getting a front-row seat to things I’m not supposed to see.”
Paul Rudd didn’t know how large his role would be on the show initially
Rudd’s feelings about appearing in the Friends finale make a lot of sense. After all, the core cast, including Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, and Matthew Perry, had spent nearly a decade working together, day in and day out, when he showed up.
Rudd’s character was the only outside love interest with significant staying power. Pheobe’s other romantic partners weren’t particularly serious. Ross Geller’s love interests came and went, and Rachel Green’s romantic relationships ended relatively quickly. While Mike and Pheobe married, that wasn’t always a guarantee. Rudd mentioned in his interview that he didn’t know he would end up being in as many episodes as he was.
Paul Rudd’s ‘Friends’ character is beloved by fans
Paul Rudd played Mike Hannigan on Friends during seasons 9 and 10. Mike was introduced in the season 9 episode, “The One with the Pediatrician.” In total, he appeared in 16 episodes across the show’s final two seasons and won fans over with his appreciation of Pheobe’s quirky nature and musical stylings.
In a 2018 Reddit post, one fan suggested Mike was the most underappreciated character in the show’s 10-season run. Other fans were quick to agree, pointing out Mike’s best qualities and scenes. He was the perfect match for Pheobe, and we loved that for her. While Rudd felt like he was a bit of a voyeur during the filming of the show’s finale, we can’t imagine it without him in it.
