Paula Newsome on Forever Being a Friend of "Friends"

"I didn't even know what a phalange was," laughed Newsome, recalling the role when MediaVillage asked her about it. "Is it really a Phil-Angie? That's how we decided to say it."

After all these years, Newsome, who delivered the line, "The plane doesn't even have a phalange," was happy to discover that phalange was actually Phoebe's go-to word for most imaginary things, including her pseudonym Regina Phalange. "I didn't know what it was," she chuckled.

Newsome's decision to accept the guest role (and not take credit) is also interesting. "I'm going tell you I was going through a horrible breakup at that period of my life," she explained. "It was a job I never normally would have taken because it was a guest spot. My agent said, 'They just called and offered this to you.' I was like, 'I'll take it!' I needed to get out of the house, and had to stop eating Haagen Dazs, right? So, I took the job.

"It wasn't a show that I watched a lot," she continued. "But I certainly knew how important it was, and what important television it was. I also knew of Jimmy Burrows of course."

Newsome's timing in accepting the role came at a pivotal one in the run of the show. It was the series' penultimate episode, and the secrecy as to whether or not the continued Ross and Rachel storyline would end happily was the question on everyone's lips. While recalling her time on the set, in retrospect, Newsome might have played a huge role in keeping that secret. "Oh, there was so much secrecy," she revealed. "So much secrecy! I remember one time Jennifer lost her script. It was somewhere on the stage, but it was so important. I was walking by, I looked down and I saw her script. I was like, 'Oh my God!' That was just as someone walked up behind me. It was an extra and they started yelling 'Here it is! Here it is!" It was very funny, but it was shrouded in so much secrecy."

Being recognized for her appearance on Friends "hasn't really happened," she told me. "Now, you know why I didn't want to be in the credits. I just wanted to go, get there, and go home. Really, just take a break from my Haagen Dazs."

While her contribution to Friends remains uncredited, there's no denying Paula Newsome's contribution to one of television's most beloved sitcoms was huge and helped to unite one of its now-iconic sitcom couples in their happily ever after. For that, she will always remain a Friend of Friends.

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