Jessica Hecht didn’t foresee the staying power of hit sitcom Friends and she’s happy she wasn’t a main character on the show.
Jessica played Susan Bunch, the girlfriend of Ross’ ex-wife Carol Willick (Jane Sibbett).
“I don’t watch things that I’ve made more than just to say, ‘Oh God, okay,’ ” she told People. “That show affecting so many people’s lives and the actors on that show affecting so many people’s lives … I watch it with awe, and I understand the need for that.”
Jessica said she’s “grateful” that she was a part of Friends, but, “I’m also grateful that I wasn’t a lead character in many ways, because the responsibility of that is more than most people could manage.”
The Breaking Bad star sang praise of the main cast — Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, the late Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer — for managing that pressure “gracefully.”
She said they “owned” being a part of the famous show and “the fact that they were each unique within that beautiful cluster was truly an accomplishment.”
The actress also gushed over the honor of being a Tony nominee for her role in Eureka Day.
“It’s very rare that anyone gets acknowledged in life for anything they do, so why should this be different?” she explained.
“We are not changing the world. We’re doing plays that reflect on life and hopefully make people reflect on their own lives,” Jessica Hecht said. “But long story short, I was very, very touched and excited that I can go to [the Tonys]. But more than that, I love that I’m part of this community. I think that’s been my greatest sense of accomplishment, that I’ve stayed in this community my whole career. So I feel tremendous gratitude for that.”
