Why Was David Schwimmer Once Credited As Snaro On Friends?
We all remember "Friends." It ran for a decade, back in the '90s and early aughts, and it taught a generation of Americans an important lesson about life: it doesn't matter if you're a waitress, a masseuse, a struggling actor, or a copywriter –- you too can live well in New York City (if you're attractive enough).
The show is celebrated for its lighthearted comedy and its comfortable consistency. Rachel (played by Jennifer Aniston) was always caring and kind hearted. Monica (Courteney Cox) was snide and obsessive. Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) was ditzy. Joey (Matt LeBlanc) was empathetic yet easily confused. Chandler (Matthew Perry), brash. Ross (David Schwimmer), awkward.
The six of them spent 10 years getting in and out of hilarious situations –- Joey desperately trying to learn French, Chandler promising to be nicer to people, and Monica struggling to coexist with her housemates. But if the show had a central storyline, it was the on-again off-again relationship between Rachel and Ross.
The two spent huge portions of the show's 10 seasons teasing viewers by dating other people: coworkers, acquaintances, friends of friends. But none of those relationships was more peculiar than when Rachel started dating Russ, a guy who looked exactly like Ross, who was very obviously played by the actor ... Snaro?
Who is Snaro? And why is he David Schwimmer?
According to Screen Rant, the Snaro mystery is one of many behind-the-scenes Easter eggs in the "Friends" catalogue. But it's also one of the most befuddling. If Schwimmer played Russ, why wasn't he credited for both roles? It was such a confounding puzzle that, for a long time, fans suspected that the character Russ wasn't portrayed by Schwimmer, but was instead played by a Schwimmer lookalike. Series co-creator David Crane leaned into this mythology when he claimed that Snaro, the actor who portrayed Russ, was actually a Croatian friend of his.
Snaro isn't Croatian. How do we know that? Because he's David Schwimmer. It was later confirmed that Schwimmer played both Ross and Russ. No lookalikes required — just some fancy moviemaking magic.
But why Snaro, of all names? Schwimmer said the name is a tribute to a friend of his, and also a go-to alias. But again ... why not just credit Schwimmer with both roles? As it turns out, the actor just wanted to keep fans guessing about his onscreen doppelganger.
Mission accomplished.