Iconic Friends stars open up about their abrupt replacement on the show after almost 2 decades

Being cast on the iconic sitcom Friends as Ross and Rachel's baby Emma must mean lifetime bragging rights for Athena and Alexandra Conley. However, they were abruptly recast after the eighth season, and in a recent conversation with People they opened up about the recasting and all the experiences that came with this iconic casting.

It has been two decades since Rachel Green went through 21 hours of labor to give birth to her and Ross' baby girl, whom they named Emma. The way Rachel grew into a mother and Emma's interaction with all of the members of the gang remains one of the most favorite tracks on Friends.

The Conley twins recount how the showmakers had to replace them because Alexandra wound up crying too much on set. Here's what they had to say.

Conley Twins open up about their abrupt recasting when playing Baby Emma on Friends

As are the laws pertaining to babies being cast on shows, Friends cast the Conley twins to play Baby Emma, Ross and Rachel's daughter on the show. In a recent conversation with People, Alexandra and Athena Conley recount their experience on the iconic sitcom.

They revealed that they were instantly cast as Emma after their mom heard from a family friend that castings were underway for twins and decided to take her children for the audition. Their mom was more than happy when the twins were selected for Emma as Friends was at the height of its popularity back then, and having the chance to go to the sets, interact with the stars, and watch the filming live had to be one of the best experiences for their mom:

"My mom was happy to go because, I mean, it was Friends — the most iconic show. She said that all of the cast members were so nice and they were all hilarious, just cracking jokes the whole time. She felt like she was like watching the show even when filming wasn't taking place" Alexandra Conley recounts

Even though their mom was having the best time on the set, it appears baby Alexandra did not agree, as she, being a baby and all, wound up crying a little too much. Since the show could not use only Athena for filming, as that would be against the child labor laws, they were forced to replace the Conley twins in Season 9.

"Funny story, actually: they ended up replacing us because I [Alexandra] did cry too much"

To which, Athena added:

"They couldn't use just one baby the whole time due to child labor laws, so they had to replace us after season 9 with a new pair of twins."

Even though the Conley twins were replaced only after a season on Friends, they appear to have great things about the experience, which is understandable, considering the huge influence the sitcom continues to have over people of all age groups till date. Athena echoed this sentiment when she said:

"The show continues to resonate, I think, because the characters are all so relatable, and I think that makes the audience kind of feel like they're part of the group, which is really special."

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