- Courtney Cox shared a throwback photo of the “Friends” cast on a private jet to Las Vegas before the show had aired for the first time.
- They went on the trip to enjoy anonymity for the final time, as the show’s producers and directors knew it would be a hit.
- Cox’s photo has delighted fans and celebrities alike, with many commenting on Instagram.
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.
Courtney Cox has delighted “Friends” fans by posting a never-before-seen throwback photo of the cast on board a private jet to Las Vegas before the show aired for the first time.
In the throwback snap from 1994, Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer are seen smiling and relaxing on their way to the City of Sin.
In true “Friends” style, Cox, who played Monica, captioned the post: “The one where the six of us went to Vegas and no one knew we were F.R.I.E.N.D.S yet.”
http://instagr.am/p/BxidA3UgEvp
Whether the plane had a phalange or not is unclear, but celebrities have loved the old snap.
"Look at that! Thanks again Jimmy Burrows. Love you Courteney," commented Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe.
"This is TOO good!" added fellow actor Reese Witherspoon.
"WOW," said model and actor Poppy Delevingne.
Read more: The colorist who co-founded 'The Rachel' tells us the secrets behind Jennifer Aniston's iconic hair
Former NBC president Warren Littlefield revealed in his 2018 book "Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV" that the then little-known actors went on the trip to allow them one last taste of a normal holiday before they would be catapulted into the spotlight.
Having had a guest role on "Seinfeld," Cox was actually the best-known of the six, but overall they were far from being household names before "Friends," which was originally called "Six of One."
"Based on the [live] audience for the 'Friends' pilot, I knew how popular that show would be," "Friends" director Jim Burrows said in the book, as detailed in Vanity Fair.
"The kids were all pretty and funny, so beautiful. I said to Les Moonves, who was head of Warner Bros., 'Give me the plane. I'll pay for dinner.' I took the cast to Vegas."
Burrows told the cast this was going to be their last shot at anonymity.
Kudrow explained: "He said, 'I want you to be aware that this is the last time that you all can be out and not be swarmed, because that's what's going to happen.' And everyone was like, 'Really?' I thought, 'Well, we'll see. Maybe. Who knows? We don't know how the show's going to do. Why is he so certain?'"
It was on the plane that the cast actually saw the pilot episode of "Friends" for the first time.
What's more, they were given money for gambling in Vegas.
"Who goes to Vegas on a private jet? And Jimmy gave me 500 bucks to gamble," said Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey.
At the time, the soon-to-be mega-stars didn't have much money to play with.
"They wanted to gamble, and I was the only one with money," said Burrows. "They wrote me checks. Schwimmer gave me a check for $200, and Jen did. I should have saved them."
They all went to Caesars Palace for dinner and sat in a big, round table in the middle of the room.
"Your life is going to change," Burrows told the cast. "The six of you will never be able to do this again."
It would seem someone did tell them life was gonna be this way after all.