By Minyvonne Burke - NBC News
The director of the special program 'Friends: The Reunion' responded to questions about why the black actors from the popular television show did not appear in the anticipated reunion and criticism that the show lacked diversity.
Ben Winston, 39, spoke to news site
The Sunday Times
about the special, which premiered on HBO Max on May 27.
During the interview, Winston responded to the naysayers, suggesting that
those who say the special was not diverse "have not seen it."
“We include Malala, Mindy Kaling, BTS (the South Korean singing band).
There are three women from Ghana, one who talks about how 'Friends' saved her life.
Two boys from Kenya.
Three children in India, "he said."
What more diversity do you want in this meeting?
The cast is the cast.
It was chosen in 1994. I think it's remarkable how well it stands the test of time. "
["We knew it!". Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer liked each other as much as Ross and Rachel in 'Friends']
When asked about the questions regarding the black actors of 'Friends', like Aisha Tyler, who did not appear in the special, Winston said: “Not all could join.
But I'm really satisfied with the show that we were able to put on. "
In this image provided by HBO Max Jennifer Aniston, from left, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc in a scene from the 'Friends, The Reunion' special.
During 2003, Tyler worked on nine episodes of the series as Ross's girlfriend (one of the six leads), played by David Schwimmer,
"Friends," which premiered on NBC in September 1994, has long been criticized for the lack of diversity in its cast.
The six main members of the series - Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry - are all white.
Series creator Marta Kauffman and executive producer Kevin Bright recently responded to reactions to the special in comments to the entertainment news site The Hollywood Reporter.
They both said the cast was chosen because of the chemistry they had together.
"We didn't intend to have a completely white cast
," Bright said.
"That wasn't the goal either. Obviously, the chemistry between these six actors speaks for itself."
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Kauffman added: "There are many things I could say if I knew then what I know now. Back then, we did not make a conscious decision. We saw people of all races, religions and colors. These were the six people we chose."
Bright also said he has no regrets about the result achieved with 'Friends', which ended airing in May 2004.
"It would have been crazy not to cast those six actors. What can I say? I wish Lisa was black? I loved that cast," Bright said.
"I loved the show and I loved the experience."
Kauffman told The Hollywood Reporter that
there are "hundreds of things" he would change about the show if given the opportunity.
"I have talked about it in the past and I have very strong feelings about my participation in a (racist) system, but the bottom line is that I did not know the things that I did not know," he said.
