season 2, episode 10 "The One with Russ" introduces Rachel's new boyfriend Russ who is also played by David Schwimmer, yet the character is credited as "Snaro." For years, the mystery character remained something for the audience to speculate about, from where the name "Snaro" came from to what it actually means. had a particular focus on the romance between Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer), but before they officially got together, they dated different people.
One of the guys Rachel went out with was Russ, a man eerily similar to Ross.
Russ is introduced during a difficult period in after Ross made a list of cons and pros of her and his girlfriend Julie (Lauren Tom), as he didn’t know who to pick. In the aftermath, Rachel started dating Russ. Of course, the joke was that Russ was just Schwimmer in a wig, but in the show, the similarities were enough to freak the group out — except for Rachel and Ross, who just didn’t see it.
In the end, Rachel realized Ross and Russ were almost identical copies of one another and broke up with Russ. Unlike what many people believed for years, Russ wasn’t played by a Schwimmer lookalike, and it was, in fact, Schwimmer himself, though he was credited as “Snaro.”
With a little bit of makeup and TV set magic, Schwimmer played both Ross and Russ. The actor looked just different enough in the role of Russ for fans to have an inkling of doubt whether was really him. However, it is obvious looking back on the episode that Schwimmer plays both, as no one could be so similar to Ross as the man who knew him best. It was later confirmed that Snaro and David Schwimmer are one and the same.
Schwimmer was credited as Snaro as a tribute to one of his friends, and it’s also an alias he used from time to time.
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With another David Schwimmer lookalike spotted in Loki, it seems WandaVision's dead ringer may in fact have a more mustachioed variant.The Snaro incident wasn't the only time that
used the credits to make a joke. season 6, episode 1, "The One After Vegas" saw everyone's name in the credits changed to say "Arquette" in the opening credits. This was because of Courteney Cox (Monica). Over the filming break, she had gotten married to her co-star David Arquette, and had therefore changed her name to Courteney Cox-Arquette. So, the production team decided to celebrate the couple's nuptials by changing all of the actors' names in the opening credits to match hers.
It's a fun bit of trivia, like the answer to the question "Who played Russ on ?" that only superfans know. was a landmark sitcom overall, and it's only been made better over time with the number of in-universe jokes that have gone on, like Phoebe's twin .
The mystery behind Snaro is not the only notable aspect of the episode "The One with Russ." In fact, this is a fairly important episode in the series as it has some landmark moments that fans might have missed. This includes the first mention of ' Dr. Drake Ramoray who Joey would go onto play for several years. It is also the first time Phoebe drops her catchphrase "Oh no." While the exacerbated line she utters whenever something doesn't go her way is a lowkey catchphrase compared to Joey's "
?" it has a lasting legacy on the show. Finally, it is the final appearance of Ross' ex-girlfriend Julie — who appropriately finds a new man in Russ.
Cast:Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer
Release Date:1994-09-22
Seasons:10 Main Genre: Genres:Comedy, Drama, Sitcom Writers: David Crane, Marta Kauffman Story By:Marta Kauffman Network:NBC Streaming Service(s): Franchise(s):Friends Directors: David Crane, Marta Kauffman Showrunner:Marta Kauffman Where To Watch:Max
