Friends fans know that the gang racked up a lot of ex-boyfriends and -girlfriends throughout the series. But none stand out as much as David, Phoebe's lovable scientist boyfriend. After years apart, however—thanks, Minsk—Phoebe ended up with Mike, played by the always-charming, never-aging Paul Rudd. And even though they made a perfect pair, it was hard to forget brainy-but-romantic David the Scientist.
But actor Hank Azaria, who played David, has some crushing news for those of us who were always Team Scientist: David and Phoebe actually almost ended up together. We'll just let that sink in for a sec.
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Anyway, the actor spoke to the Huffington Post about his recent Emmy nomination for his role in Ray Donovan—and also revealed that he didn’t realize David’s departure for Minsk meant the end of his character arc. According to Azaria, the plan was always for David to return and for he and Phoebe to live happily ever after, but Rudd was just too damn charming to cut from the show.
“I think, honestly, what happened was Paul Rudd is so awesome that they sort of found a groove with him, and [my character] became more of just the grist for that mill,” said Azaria.
