he cast decided to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.' preferenceШУУД ҮЗЭХ in seasons nine and
In their original contracts for the first season, cast members were paid $22,500 per episode.[22] The cast members received different salaries in the second season, beginning from the $20,000 range to $40,000 per episode.[22][23] Before their salary negotiations for the third season, the cast decided to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.' preference for individual deals.[24] The actors were given the salary of the least-paid cast member, meaning Aniston and Schwimmer had their salaries reduced. The stars were paid $75,000 per episode in season three, $85,000 in season four, $100,000 in season five, $125,000 in season six, $750,000 in seasons seven and eight, and $1 million in seasons nine and ten, making Aniston, Cox, and Kudrow the highest paid TV actresses of all-time.[25][26][27] The cast also received syndication royalties beginning with the fifth season.[23] At the time, that financial benefit of a piece of the show's lucrative back end profits had only been given out to stars who had ownership rights in a show, like Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby.[28] Series creator David Crane wanted all six actors to be equally prominent,[29] and the series was lauded as being "the first true 'ensemble' show".[30] The cast members made efforts to keep the ensemble format and not allow one member to dominate;[30] they entered themselves in the same acting categories for awards,[31] opted for collective salary negotiations,[30] and asked to appear together on magazine cover photos in the first season.[32] The cast members also became best friends off-screen,[33] and guest star Tom Selleck reported sometimes feeling left out.[34] The cast remained good friends after the series' run, most notably Cox and Aniston, with Aniston being godmother to Cox and David Arquette's daughter, Coco.[35] In the official farewell commemorative book Friends 'Til the End, each separately acknowledged in interviews that the cast had become their family
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