Paul Rudd cost Hank Azaria Friends finale fling
Paul Rudd's charm cost Hank Azaria a big role in the Friends finale.
The Simpsons regular, who played Phoebe Buffay scientist boyfriend David, was supposed to sweep Lisa Kudrow's character off her feet as the hit sitcom came to an end, but Hank now admits he lost out to Rudd's Mike Hannigan.
"The plan always was kind of to bring him (David) back," Azaria tells The Huffington Post. "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. As opposed to the other way around."
And Hank admits he took rejection badly when producers told him their plans for his character had changed.
"It actually did sting a little bit," he recalls. "Whatever part of me is David the science guy who went to Minsk, which admittedly is probably a small part of me, but that part of me wanted to end up with Phoebe. So I was sort of sad when I didn't."
But the funnyman has no hard feelings towards Rudd: "He certainly has gone on to prove that he was comedically deserving of Phoebe's love. He's a handsome devil. He's actually annoyingly handsome. He shouldn't really be allowed to be that handsome."
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