Lisa Kudrow Drops the Most Uncomfortable "Friends" Secret in 30 Years

Lisa Kudrow Drops the Most Uncomfortable "Friends" Secret in 30 Years

Phoebe Buffay would never. But Lisa Kudrow just did. In a candid interview with The Times of London, the actress revealed that the "Friends" writers' room — staffed mostly by men — regularly spent off-hours discussing their sexual fantasies about Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox specifically. Kudrow also recalled writers berating cast members for forgetting lines, quoting the kind of language used directly: "Can't the bitch fucking read?" She called it part of a broader pattern of "mean stuff" she had to absorb while showing up every day to one of television's most iconic sets.

What makes this land differently than a generic Hollywood misconduct story is the show itself: "Friends" ran for ten seasons and is still streaming to new generations of fans. If this was the backstage reality on that set, it reframes every episode you've ever loved. This also isn't the first time the writers' room conduct has surfaced — in the early 2000s, a lawsuit brought by writers' assistant Amaani Lyle against Warner Bros. Television alleged frequent sexual and racist remarks in the room. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled against Lyle. Kudrow didn't dwell on it, but she didn't pretend it wasn't real either.

Gobble's Take: "Friends" taught a generation what love and friendship looked like — apparently while the writers were busy doing the opposite.

Source: Variety

Michael Opens at No. 1 in the U.K. and Ireland

Universal's Michael debuted at the top of the U.K. and Ireland box office, pulling in £11.6 million ($15.6 million) in its opening weekend, according to Comscore. That's one of the strongest debuts of the year in the territory.

Universal also claimed second place with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which added $1.4 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $46.5 million. Sony's Project Hail Mary placed third with $1.1 million in its sixth frame, bringing its total to $43.1 million.

Further down the chart, new entries included BFI Distribution's Rose of Nevada in seventh with $232,000 and Vertigo Releasing's Exit 8 in eighth with $190,000. Disney's 4K reissue of Fight Club opened ninth with $133,000.

Gobble's Take: A £11.6 million opening weekend is a number that speaks for itself — audiences in the U.K. and Ireland showed up.

Source: Variety

Netflix Is Making a Korean Political Thriller About a Real Power Struggle — and the Cast Is Stacked

Director Yoon Jong-bin, who sent Narco-Saints to the top of Netflix's global charts in 2022, is returning with something even more ambitious: The Generals, a political thriller chronicling the rise of Roh Tae-woo, the longtime second-in-command to military strongman Chun Doo-hwan. Son Suk-ku (D.P.) plays Roh, a figure who publicly presents himself as an "ordinary man" while maneuvering behind the scenes beside dictator Chun Doo-hwan (Ha Jung-woo), who wields absolute authority. The film marks Yoon's first feature in eight years, following The Spy Gone North, which premiered at Cannes in 2018.

This isn't fictional prestige drama — it's a dramatization of real figures who shaped one of the most turbulent chapters in South Korean history. The casting puts two of Korea's most in-demand leading men opposite each other for the first time. Ha Jung-woo is a longtime Yoon collaborator; Son Suk-ku broke through with Netflix's D.P. before headlining A Killer Paradox. Netflix is clearly betting this lands internationally, not just domestically. South Korean audiences, meanwhile, will be watching closely — this history is still within living memory.

Gobble's Take: A story about a man who called himself ordinary while grabbing absolute power — Netflix couldn't have picked a more uncomfortable moment to tell it.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Tony Leung Is About to Be the Most Powerful Person at the Shanghai Film Festival

Tony Leung Chiu-wai — the Hong Kong actor behind In the Mood for Love, Hero, and a career spanning more than 40 years and upwards of 100 screen credits — has been named jury president of the main competition at the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival, kicking off June 12. He's not new to this role: in 2024, he presided over the main competition jury at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Three years before that, he became the first Chinese actor to receive the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at Venice.

It's also a moment worth watching politically. Leung is a Hong Kong legend presiding over a mainland Chinese festival at a time when the relationship between the two film industries is more fraught than it's been in decades. His presence is either a bridge or a symbol — and in Shanghai, those two things aren't always different.

Gobble's Take: When the man who made a love scene last two minutes without a word becomes your jury president, your film festival just got credibility it can't buy.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

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