“Friends” Actress Jessica Hecht Shares Why She's 'Grateful' for Not Being a Lead Character on the Series (Exclusive)

Jessica Hecht is grateful for her clip connected Friends — but she’s besides gladsome her domiciled wasn’t overmuch bigger.

Hecht, 59, tells PEOPLE that she didn’t expect Friends to person nan staying powerfulness it’s had, decades aft its 1994 premiere. “I don't watch things that I've made much than conscionable to say, ‘Oh God, okay,’ ” she says. “That show affecting truthful galore people's lives and nan actors connected that show affecting truthful galore people's lives ... I watch it pinch awe, and I understand nan request for that.”

Hecht played Susan Bunch connected nan series, woman of Carol Willick (Jane Sibbett), nan ex-wife of David Schwimmer’s Ross. Carol divided Ross to beryllium pinch Susan, but early successful play 1, she reveals she’s pregnant pinch Ross’s child, Ben, who’s calved astatine nan extremity of nan season. Hecht appeared successful much than a twelve episodes of Friends, including nan play 2 section "The One With The Lesbian Wedding,” successful which Susan and Carol necktie nan knot. 

Hecht explains she’s not only “grateful” that she was a portion of Friends, but, “I'm besides grateful that I wasn't a lead characteristic successful galore ways, because nan work of that is much than astir group could manage.” She praises nan main formed — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, the precocious Matthew Perry and Schwimmer — for managing that unit “gracefully.”

They “owned” being portion of an ensemble, she says, and “the truth that they were each unsocial wrong that beautiful cluster was genuinely an accomplishment.” She besides credits James Burrows, who created Cheers and directed galore early episodes of Friends, pinch helping nan formed find nan equilibrium arsenic an ensemble. 

Hecht is simply a 2025 Tony nominee for her capacity successful nan play Eureka Day, which is besides nominated for champion revival of a play. She tells PEOPLE she was shocked to beryllium honored successful nan champion featured character successful a play category. “It's very uncommon that anyone gets acknowledged successful life for thing they do, truthful why should this beryllium different?” she explains. 

“We are not changing nan world. We're doing plays that bespeak connected life and hopefully make group bespeak connected their ain lives,” she says. “But agelong communicative short, I was very, very touched and excited that I tin spell to [the Tonys]. But much than that, I emotion that I'm portion of this community. I deliberation that's been my top consciousness of accomplishment, that I've stayed successful this organization my full career. So I consciousness tremendous gratitude for that.” 

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Hecht made her Broadway debut successful 1997’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo and has appeared successful plays for illustration Julius Caesar, Brighton Beach Memoirs, A View from nan Beach, Harvey and nan 2015 revival of Fiddler connected nan Roof. This is her 3rd Tony nomination. Hecht besides stars successful Eleanor nan Great, Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut that conscionable premiered astatine Cannes. Hecht and Johansson starred together successful A View from nan Bridge. 

The 2025 Tony Awards aerial unrecorded from Radio City Music Hall successful New York City Sunday, June 8, connected CBS.