Joey Speaks

Image credit: Lost in Space: Jack English

All About

Joey

Get the latest photos, news, and more

Was there ever talk about doing a spin-off with Jennifer Aniston?
That was talked about briefly, but then abandoned. I don't know why. The only talks I was seriously involved in were the ones that involved the Joey show.

So much, then, for Joey and Rachel winding up together?
I think that Rachel belongs with Ross. I'll kill Joey if he ends up with her.

Much has been written about NBC's search for the next ''Friends.'' Now the network is handing you the coveted Thursday-at-8 slot when ''Friends'' signs off. You're in the hot seat.
Lot of pressure not to f--- up. [The time slot] is not something I fought for. NBC put that on the table right up front. That upped the amplitude on the whole thing. [Affecting English accent] ''Okay, we're at 11 now, right? Nigel?''

Your deal is unprecedented for a new series -- close to $15 million for the first year and an ownership stake in the show. Technically, though, you'll no longer be making $1 million per episode. Will you be able to scrape by on just $15 million a year?
Well, if you want to run some soup over to the house, I sure could use it.

Will this last season of ''Friends'' lay the groundwork for Joey?
I don't think it will have any bearing on the outcome of the writing on ''Friends'' at all.… ''Friends'' has definitely reserved and earned the right to its own course and destiny. I don't think that will be altered by what comes after ''Friends.'' In the last episode, does Joey have a suitcase in his hand? I don't think so. Maybe a bus ticket in his pocket -- but you don't see that.

Will there be guest spots waiting for the other ''Friends''?
I probably won't talk to them anymore. I mean, I have my own show. F--- them. [Laughs] No, of course, I would love to have them every week. That would be great. Like on ''Frasier,'' when Sam Malone comes by. Those are the best episodes.

When the ''Seinfeld'' actors failed to launch new shows, everyone called it the ''Seinfeld'' curse. Are you worried about a ''Friends'' curse?
Those people waited for two or three years, and they came back playing different characters. People want to be done with you when they're done with you. If you leave them and come back in a different light, they're looking only for the other character that you played. If you're lucky enough to score once in television history, chances are you should stick with that guy, if you're going to come back on TV again. I think that's why ''Frasier'' works. And why ''Watching Ellie'' perhaps does not work. It's important to give people what they want. If it's a character they've grown to love, I mean, people are letting you into their homes and they're spending time with you every week for 10 years. And then if you just yank that and say, ''Now I'm a fireman, ha-ha, and my name's Tim,'' they're going to say, ''Well, go f--- yourself, Tim. Where's Joey?'' It's that simple. When I'm an old man, if people say, ''He played Joey and that's all he did,'' then I can say, ''Yeah, that's right, that's all I did. Did it for a long time, it was a very satisfying career, pulled a lot of jokes, got a lot of great stories to tell my grandchildren -- and get off my property.''