Lisa Cash was an actress who made an appearance on “Friends” during Season 5 in 1999. She played a flight attendant in the episode titled “The One in Vegas: Part 1,” where she encounters Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). In a recent interview with TMZ, Cash shared an interesting story about her role in the episode. Originally, her character was meant to be a hotel worker, and there was a storyline where Chandler (Matthew Perry) cheats on Monica (Courteney Cox) with her after an argument about Monica having lunch with her former flame, Richard (Tom Selleck).
Cash expressed her excitement about being a guest star and described the initial script where Chandler and Monica were in a disagreement while in Vegas. In this version, Chandler goes to the hotel room, and orders room service, and she, as a hotel worker, brings it up to him. During their interaction, they connect and laugh, and Chandler ends up cheating on Monica with her character.
We had rehearsed the scene and everything,” Cash continued. “But the day before we were going to shoot it in front of a live audience, I was told that Matthew Perry went to the writers and expressed his concern. He believed that the audience might not forgive Chandler for cheating on Monica, and he was probably right! This change could have potentially altered the show’s direction and his character.”
It seems that Matthew Perry took action to safeguard one of the show’s central love stories. Variety has contacted Warner Bros. TV for additional comments.
This story comes to light following Matthew Perry’s unexpected passing on October 28 at the age of 54. The exact cause of his death remains undisclosed, but he was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home, with no signs of foul play or drugs at the scene.
Cash’s original role was removed from the episode, but she was given a new part as a flight attendant in a scene with Schwimmer and Aniston. She mentioned in an interview with TMZ how exciting it was to work with Perry during the rehearsals for this changed scene.
She felt at ease working with him and had a lot of fun. It was a great experience for her.
In a related story, John Stamos recalled his own guest appearance on “Friends” during Season 9. He played the role of Zach, a co-worker of Chandler’s, who was being considered as a potential sperm donor for Monica and Chandler. Stamos and Perry were friends even before “Friends,” and Stamos remembered Perry’s encouragement before his entrance on the show, although the audience’s reaction turned out differently than expected, leading to a moment of embarrassment.
Source: Variety
