Friends: Why Russ Is Played By "Snaro" (When It's Really David Schwimmer) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 10-17-2021, 05:20 AM

https://screenrant.com/friends-show-...wimmer-credit/

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Although only one of the main characters in Friends has a twin, Rachel once dated a guy named Russ, who could have been Ross’s twin. Audiences were impressed at the quality of the Ross doppelganger, believing him to be “Snaro,” (as the character is credited in the show) not David Schwimmer. For years the mystery character remained just that: something for the audience to speculate about. It is now known that Snaro and David Schwimmer are one and the same, leaving audiences to wonder where the name came from and what it means.

Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends premiered on NBC in 1994 and came to an end in 2004 after 10 seasons full of memorable characters, jokes, and events. Friends continues to be regarded as one of the best TV shows ever even though over a decade has passed since it came to an end, and its fan base has recently expanded thanks to its arrival to the world of streaming through HBO Max. This has allowed a new generation of viewers to get to know Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross as they do their best to navigate through wacky and relatable situations in New York City. Friends had a special focus on the romance between Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer), which wasn’t exactly the healthiest relationship. Before they officially got together, they dated different people, and among the guys Rachel went out with was Russ, a man scarily similar to Ross.

After their first kiss, Ross and Rachel got into an argument as the former made a list of cons and pros of her and his girlfriend Julie (Lauren Tom), as he didn’t know who to pick. Hurt and seeing no future with Ross, Rachel started dating a man named Russ, who made his debut in season 2’s episode appropriately titled “The One With Russ”. Russ was way too similar to Ross, with only a few, slight differences. The similarities were enough to freak the group out – except for Rachel and Ross, who just didn’t get it. In the end, Rachel realized Ross and Russ were almost identical copies of one another and broke up with Russ. Unlike what many viewers believed for years, Russ wasn’t played by a David 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, though audiences were left to wonder for many years. David Crane joked that Snaro was his Croatian friend to further the ruse and keep fans guessing about the identity of Snaro. Schwimmer looked just different enough in the role of Russ for fans to have an inkling of doubt as to whether or not David Schwimmer's lookalike was really him, although 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.

The mystery of Snaro is one of many fun behind-the-scenes stories from Friends, though one that might still trick new viewers into thinking there’s a David Schwimmer lookalike out there who did an excellent job as Ross Geller’s doppelganger “Russ” in the earlier seasons of Friends.

Wawwie · 10-17-2021, 09:13 AM

I always knew that "Russ" was really David Schwimmer and not his twin because of the mannerisms.

RetroGuy2000 · 10-17-2021, 11:28 AM

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Originally Posted by Wawwie

I always knew that "Russ" was really David Schwimmer and not his twin because of the mannerisms.

Same here!

Dr. Thong · 10-19-2021, 06:10 PM

Yeah, it was never exactly a mystery.

Jean Stapleton once played a dual role on an All In The Family episode, playing her usual Edith and a European woman. The actress credited was "Giovanna Pucci."

Stapleton's real-life husband's last name was Putch, an anglicized form of "Pucci" and I believe "Giovanna" is the Italian equivalent of Jean.

RetroGuy2000 · 10-20-2021, 02:27 AM

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Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Yeah, it was never exactly a mystery.

Jean Stapleton once played a dual role on an All In The Family episode, playing her usual Edith and a European woman. The actress credited was "Giovanna Pucci."

Stapleton's real-life husband's last name was Putch, an anglicized form of "Pucci" and I believe "Giovanna" is the Italian equivalent of Jean.

Cool trivia! I never knew. Guess I missed that episode.

Dr. Thong · 10-20-2021, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Cool trivia! I never knew. Guess I missed that episode.

It was from the final season of the show, after Mike and Gloria moved to California.

It was well done.

10-19-2021, 06:10 PM	#4
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,546	Yeah, it was never exactly a mystery. Jean Stapleton once played a dual role on an All In The Family episode, playing her usual Edith and a European woman. The actress credited was "Giovanna Pucci." Stapleton's real-life husband's last name was Putch, an anglicized form of "Pucci" and I believe "Giovanna" is the Italian equivalent of Jean.
	__________________ "Sunday has been cancelled due to lack of interest. That is all."

10-17-2021, 09:13 AM	#2
Wawwie Member Forum Star Join Date: Jul 26, 2006 Location: New York Posts: 14,376	I always knew that "Russ" was really David Schwimmer and not his twin because of the mannerisms.