'Friends' Reunion: Why Paul Rudd, Cole Sprouse Weren't Part Of Special

Paul Rudd and Cole Sprouse were not among the slew of guest stars and former recurring characters who made cameo appearances on "Friends: The Reunion," and the special's director has revealed the reason for their absence.

Reese Witherspoon, Tom Selleck and more joined "Friends" regular cast members Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer in the two-hour HBO Max special. However, fans wondered why Rudd, who played Phoebe's (Kudrow) husband Mike, and Sprouse, who portrayed Ross' (Schwimmer) son Ben, were not part of the reunion. Apparently, it was a matter of logistics.

"Well, we couldn't have everybody on, because it's only an hour and 45 minutes. And you've got to pay attention — the main nub of the show has got to be about the six cast members," director Ben Winston told The Wrap.

"So you can't have too many cameos because of course, there were hundreds of amazing people who were in 'Friends' over the years. Sadly, we couldn't get everybody in," he continued.

Winston added that they did invite some stars "who weren't able to make it." Some could not fly internationally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while others had prior commitments.

"I think during a pandemic, it's really hard to get everybody where you want to be. And the other thing, of course, is we have no flexibility. It was one night that those six [main cast members] were available," Winston explained.

"The timing of it was incredibly difficult. So, you know, if you weren't available on the seventh of April at 8 p.m., then, sadly, they weren't able to be part of it. Yeah, we couldn't get everybody in. It's just one of those things. I hope people will think about all the great things that are in there rather than the things that aren't," he added.

In an interview on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2019, Rudd said being part of "Friends" was "incredible." He also shared that he was supposed to only appear in a few episodes, but his appearance was stretched and he was even present on the final episode.

"It was an incredible thing to be a part of and the whole experience seemed a bit surreal," Rudd said. "A bit of a blur in my memory because I was only coming on for a couple of episodes and it turned into a few more. But it was nearing the end of the show and the show was phenomenal and popular."

"Friends: The Reunion" is available to stream now on HBO Max.