'Friends' actor David Schwimmer says he's 'very aware' of 'privilege as a heterosexual white male,' says 'Friends' should reboot with all-black or all-Asian cast

Actor David Schwimmer said recently that he is well aware of his "privilege as a heterosexual white male" and insisted that "Friends" should be rebooted with an all-black or all-Asian cast.

 

Schwimmer, most famous for his portrayal of "Ross Geller" in the hit show, "Friends," made the remarks during a recent interview with The Guardian. "Friends" has come under fire in recent years for its perceived outdated social storylines.

What are the details?

During the interview, which was published Monday on The Guardian, Schwimmer said that a brand-new, "woke" remake might remedy the criticisms of the show.

"Maybe there should be an all-black 'Friends' or an all-Asian 'Friends,'" he suggested. "But I was well aware of the lack of diversity, and I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of color."

Schwimmer said he has always had a diverse portfolio of dating partners and that he previously dated Asian American women as well as African American women.

"That was a very conscious push on my part," he added.

He also admitted his "privilege," pointing out that he grew up in a very socially conscious household, which made him the man he is today.

"My mom was a very vocal, groundbreaking feminist activist lawyer [and occasional actor]," Schwimmer told the outlet. "So my earliest memories of theater were watching these feminist productions that my mom was in and being on the picket line with my parents and fighting for women's rights and gay rights."

"That's the environment I grew up in," he added. "I'm very aware of my own privilege as a heterosexual white male whose parents were able to pay for a private education for me. I've always felt a sense of responsibility to give back and to call things out if I see an abuse of power."

What about the criticisms?

As for the criticisms of the show, Schwimmer says that the show did the best it could at the time.

“I feel that a lot of the problem today in so many areas is that so little is taken in context," he reasoned. "You have to look at it from the point of view of what the show was trying to do at the time. I'm the first person to say that maybe something was inappropriate or insensitive, but I feel like my barometer was pretty good at that time. I was already really attuned to social issues and issues of equality."