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David Schwimmer, who portrays
the lovable but downtrodden, Ross on NBC's hit sitcom "Friends", arrives at
Warner Bros. studio commissary a moment after co-stars Jennifer Aniston (who plays Rachel)
and Matthew Perry (Chandler). Although he and his castmates have become real pals during
their meteoric rise to the top of the Nielson ratings, Schwimmer is passing up lunch with
them to discuss another set of friends, his fellow thespians at Chicago's Lookingglass
Theater Company.
Schwimmer co-founded the
troupe, known for its innovative productions and physical style, with seven other
Northwestern graduates in 1988. He cut his acting teeth in Lookingglass performances of
"West," "The Odyssey," "Of One Blood," "In the Eye of
the Beholder" and "The Master and Margarita." As a stage director, he
called the shots in the theater company's award-winning production of "The
Jungle," "The Serpent" and the critically acclaimed "Alice in
Wonderland," which took the high road to Scotland for a week at the Edinburgh
Festival.
But all that was years ago, before Schwimmer became the Emmy-nominated star of "Friends" and a sizzling hot property, as they say in the Industry.
How hot is sizzling? His recent free-lance credits include starring in an upcoming feature film, "The Pallbearer"; hosting the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live"; emceeing "Just for Laughs," an international comedy special from Montreal; filming a music video for the "Friends" theme song (The Rembrandts' catchy "I'll Be There For You") and appearing in a national AT&T commercial, the one which ends with him asking his long- distance telephone representative, "Are you married?"
Long-distance used to describe his romance with Sarah Trimble, his attorney girlfriend, before September when she moved from New Orleans to Los Angeles. Today it's an accurate description of the actor's relationship with Lookingglass, although that too may change, as early as next Spring.
"We just had this huge
12-day artistic retreat in San Francisco," says Schwimmer, informally clad in jeans,
T-shirt and tennis shoes. "I found this ranch and the 15 of us just took it over.
Someone would say, 'hey Schwimmer, what's up, you're long distance, you're living in L.A.,
you've got a show possibly for the next four years. What is your commitment to us?'
"That is something that is constantly being reshaped, redesigned," he continues, pausing only a moment to order soup, salad and an ice tea. "I consider myself chiefly, first and foremost, an active member of the ensemble because I'm constantly trying to publicize and raise money for the company. I consider myself an ambassador for the company and, of course, I donate my time and money to it. Other than that, during my hiatus, I'm of only four months of the year. That's the only window which I can work with the company."
That window was closed tightly during Schwimmer's last season break, which he spent in New York making a dark comedy, "The Pallbearer." motion pictures are poised to play a major role in an actor's future, and if he has anything to say about it - and fortunately for him, he does - his projects will include is Lookingglass associates.
I'd love to develop a series of films with the theater company," he says, "and make ensemble films in a way that audiences look forward to the next film this group is doing - like the way that audiences in Chicago actually look forward to seeing our next play." (The Lookingglass production of "S/M," based on the lives of the Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher Masoch - who inspired the word "sadomasochism" - opens at Steppenwolf Studio in late January.)
"I've got a deal right now," Schwimmer acknowledges. "It's an amazing opportunity to direct my first feature film, with complete control over casting. We'll cast my theater company from Chicago, with money from a great producing company like Miramax. It's a dream."
If all goes as planned, the as-yet-untitled project to be written by Schwimmer, will start filming during his next hiatus, beginning in April. He looks forward to returning to the Windy City, where he honed his craft, became a Bulls fan and established lasting friendships.
And then it's back o his new home ion the hills of Hollywood for another grueling season of episodic TV.
Or is it
With opportunities knocking at the speed of a Jordan-Pippen fast break, his future with "Friends" seems precarious to TV pundits who have witnessed the departures of David Caruso from "NYPD Blue" and Rob Morrow from "Northern Exposure." Yet, Schwimmer remains steadfast in his commitment to the twentysomething sitcom as he does to his Chicago theater company.
He opens a pink packet of Sweet 'n Low and spills its contents into his iced tea before attempting to put such idle speculation to rest.
"I signed a contract for five years," he says, "and coming from two lawyers as parents, that contract means something. To suddenly leave and say, 'Hey, I could have a film career, who needs this?' is something I couldn't do. I have a certain rule, or code, that I live by, and feel like I put my name to paper for five years and that's the deal.
"That doesn't mean we
won't try to renegotiate money over the next five years," speaking for his co-stars
as well as himself. "Who'd have thunk that the show would be number one in the first
year? Everyone is machine a lot more money off the show and, as actors on it, working out
butts off and - because of the new pressures of being on a top show, all the press and
interviews - their are great things that come out of it.
"At the same time, having a personal life is tough. There are certain sacrifices that you make, and you feel like the only compensation you have as an actor is financial. So for that reason everyone, I guess, will probably be renegotiating."
They'll probably do it together, just as they do everything else.
Early on, "Friends" director Jim Burrows treated the cast to a Las Vegas getaway, where they got to know each other while commiserating over gaming losses. What they found was worth every penny: a common vision and an instant compatibility that quickly evolved into a deep friendship.
When the show was cast by the team responsible for the racy HBO series "Dream On," only Courteney Cox, who plays Schwimmer's overachieving sister Monica, had any name recognition (courtesy of her stint as Michael J. Fox's girlfriend on "Family Ties," and her appearances in Jim Carey's debut movie, "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," and the Bruce Springsteen music video, "Dancing in the Dark"). Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston and Schwimmer all had credits, but mostly with projects that dwelled in TV's second division.
Schwimmer himself was fresh off his series debut as a regular in "Monty," the failed Henry Winkler comeback vehicle. By that time, Schwimmer's face - if not his name - was becoming familiar to couch potatoes thanks to recurring roles on "The Wonder Years," "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue," where he played the angry, paranoid victim who seeks justice as the occupant of Apartment 4B.
Although "Friends" initially received only fair reviews, it flourished when locked in its Thursday night time slot as a bridge between NBC's popular "Seinfeld" and "ER" series. (This season, the show has been moved up to 7p.m. on Thursdays.) revolving around six Friends who hang out at a funky Manhattan coffee bar known as Central Perk, the show's well-defined characters desperately trying to establish their lives struck a chord with Generation X, and its constantly clever dialogue tickled the funnybones of younger and older audiences alike. It also scored big with television insiders, who nominated the series for nine Emmy Awards in the comedy category, including best series, actor (Schwimmer) and supporting actress (Kudrow).
The burgeoning star learned of his nomination through an early morning phone call from his "Friends."
"They woke me up and said 'Congratulations,'" Schwimmer recalls. "And to hear Matt Perry and Matt LeBlanc - the other two guys on the show who weren't nominated - say that to me was a real vote of confidence. I feel we're like a team, and that we're going to stick together and work together. You're only as good as the sum of your parts, and one person can't be a team. We will sustain a level of work, a quality, a standard that we set."
This season the charmingly insecure Ross is expected to find romance with Rachel, whom he's been quietly lusting after for some time. He's also got a son whose mother is involved with a lesbian life partner. The man who brings life to Ross believes such developments will lead to his characters growth, which in turn will help sustain the series' immense popularity with a notoriously fickle TV audience.
"I find America falling in love with a TV show flattering and interesting, but at the same time a little sad," says Schwimmer, pouring a generous portion of Tabasco sauce into his soup. "I just find it suspect that we're like the flavor of the month. In this country the mentality is so fickle, the attention span is so short, that everyone is waiting for the next show. They can't wait to kick our butt, to knock us out of the water. There's a certain satisfaction you get in seeing people fall as much as there is in seeing them rise, and that's interesting."
Schwimmer's own growing fame has become a double-edged sword, enabling him to pursue greater challenges but at the expense of his privacy. It was a tradeoff he was ill prepared for.
"I spend half my time just living my life, and the other half analyzing it," the actor muses. "There are pros and cons. I'm certainly glad that the show is a success, and for the attention, because that's the reason they could cast me in 'The Pallbearer.' Suddenly I was bankable, even though I may not be any better than I was six years ago. I'm the same actor, and I think I was good enough to carry the film but, financially, no one was willing to take the risk.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity. But at the same time, I didn't ask to be followed by five video guys from 'Hard Copy' that harass you with bright lights in your face and ask you questions and try to incite you. I didn't ask for that. I never went into acting for that, or to be in the public eye simply by walking down the street, not being able to eat a meal without being interrupted. I didn't ask for that either.
"I mean, there are certain pressures and things that change your life to a degree that, in the cost benefit analysis that constantly goes on, sometimes makes you think, 'Maybe I should just leave. If I make enough money in the next four years to retire for life, I can do some more movies or move back to Chicago and do theater the rest of my life.' I mean, who needs it?"
The stage, Schwimmer freely admits, remains his first love. He finds the unique relationship between performer and audience deeply satisfying, a stimulating professional experience that can't be duplicated in television or film.
"There's nothing like a play," he enthuses. "It's so immediate and every performance is different. As an actor, you have the most control over what the audience is seeing. In television and film, it's the editor's and directors' medium."
But make no mistake, it is through television that Schwimmer is stepping onto center stage.
His clean-cut fictional character is being hailed as the ideal man of the 90's. that's a far cry from the over-weight teenager who never quite fit in at Beverly Hills High School, and couldn't wait to further his education just about anywhere - as long as it was outside California.
And by the way, don't bother asking him if he's seen "Clueless," the summer's hit teen comedy set at Beverly Hills High: he hasn't.
"Everyone has there own
take on high school," says Schwimmer, who today stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and
weighs in at a sleek 175 pounds. "Some things were great, and I had a couple of
friendships that have lasted over the years since then. But it was a tough environment to
grow up in because there was a lot of emphasis on appearance, and I just didn't" -
the actor stops in mid-sentence as he ponders his past, and when he resumes he takes a
slightly different path down memory lane.
"I guess I just wanted to get away, and find out who David was," he says. "I felt I needed to get out of California."
Schwimmer was born in Queens, N.Y., but grew up in Southern California. His parents are successful attorneys - his mother, Arlene, handled Roseanne's first divorce and his father, Arthur, specializes in appellate cases. They instilled in their children, David and his older sister Ellie, an obsession to excel.
Young David was bitten by the acting bug at an early age. His high school drama instructor encouraged him to attend a summer acting program at Northwestern during his junior year, and when he graduated the university was among the 13 to which he applied. His research ranked Yale as having the best graduate program for theater, but in terms of an undergraduate program at a liberal arts university, Northwestern was tops. When he was accepted, he didn't hesitate.
"I fell in love with Chicago and Northwestern," he says. "It's a great, great school. The acting program was terrific. I studied with Professor David Downs, who's actually out here right now. Another former student and I brought him to California to do a little workshop, and there are about 25 people taking class with him.
"The acting program was great, but I didn't feel like they were really doing any innovative theater. they were doing a lot of revivals of classics, and some contemporary plays of this century, but nothing really exciting. They weren't directors, they were professors. They weren't driven to break new ground.
"I started to direct, and to get involved with other students who had the same vision of what to do with the rehearsal process, and what to say," he continues. "That eventually became the Lookingglass Theater Company. We started out with eight members, and we're now 15 members strong, all Northwestern graduates of various classes."
Schwimmer was "discovered" in a senior showcase, just as the theater company was getting off the ground. he thought he could buck the odds and become an overnight success, and then apply his earnings to help the company find a permanent space.
Yeah Right.
"Being naive and a senior, I thought I'd come to California and get a movie in a month," says the older and wiser Schwimmer who turns 29 this month.
(I'm sorry...but I don't have the rest of the article)
Many Thanks To Tara for contributing this article!!!