Out of all the characters from the main gang, David Schwimmer’s Ross Geller is the easiest to dislike given the plethora of mishaps he pulled throughout the show’s run. From sleeping with another woman at the first hint of opportunity in the aftermath of his break-up with Rachel to being dismissive of the latter’s career, Ross wasn’t exactly the most righteous member of the group.
However, unlike his onscreen counterpart, Schwimmer didn’t escape accountability and touched on the issues that plagued the revered sitcom during its years-long run.
David Schwimmer didn’t gloss over Friends‘ lack of diversity
On top of Ross’ shenanigans, which left a sour taste in viewers’ mouths, Friends was also scrutinized over its lack of diversity and inclusivity, which is made worse by the fact that it took place in a diverse city like New York. Although creator Marta Kauffman did address the whole fiasco, from the main cast, ironically, it was Ross actor David Schwimmer who came forward to highlight Friends’ “inappropriate or insensitive” traits.
He told The Guardian:
I feel that a lot of the problem today in so many areas is that so little is taken in context. You have to look at it from the point of view of what the show was trying to do at the time. I’m the first person to say that maybe something was inappropriate or insensitive, but I feel like my barometer was pretty good at that time. I was already really attuned to social issues and issues of equality.
Moreover, Schwimmer campaigned for years to combat the show’s lack of diversity by having Ross date women of color, which contributed to his onscreen counterpart’s dating life in the show.
Marta Kauffman felt guilty for internalizing systemic racism with Friends
Apart from Schwimmer, most of the main cast rarely touched on the topic of sitcom’s severe lack of diversity, but this wasn’t the case for its creators. Both David Crane and Marta Kauffman shared regret for glossing over people of color in the show, especially Kauffman, who felt guilty and embarrassed over internalizing systemic racism at the time (via Los Angeles Times).
It took me a long time to begin to understand how I internalised systemic racism. I’ve been working really hard to become an ally, an anti-racist. And this seemed to me to be a way that I could participate in the conversation from a white woman’s perspective.
Considering Ross was infamous for being self-absorbed and overly critical of others, Schwimmer’s push for more inclusivity behind the screen makes his performance all the more admirable.
You can watch FRIENDS on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
