LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Joey would have opened a sandwich shop, Monica would be trying to outdo other moms at bake sales, and Rachel would have started her own clothing line.

That's what the stars of "Friends" imagine their characters would be doing 17 years after the hit comedy series came to an end in 2004.

Ahead of a one-off reunion special to be aired next week, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry spoke with People magazine about the reunion, and their memories of the show.

"I always just feel like Monica would be doing something competitively with other mothers and trying to outdo them. Whether it's the bake sale at school or something. I mean, she'd be so annoying. She'd be at the head of the PTA or something," Cox told People.

"Joey would have opened a chain of sandwich shops," said LeBlanc.

"And eaten all the sandwiches," quipped Perry.

"Friends," the story of six 20 Somethings in New York, was one of the most popular TV shows of the 1990s and found a new life on streaming platforms where it is one of the most watched shows worldwide.

The unscripted reunion will air on HBO Max on May 27 with a string of celebrity guests that includes Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber and actors who played supporting roles on "Friends" such as Janice, Richard, and Gunther.

Aniston said getting back together for the reunion was "like a family. I don't have sisters. It's what I assume sisters are like."

Schwimmer said that when the original series ended in 2004, he took a "Professor Geller" placard from his paleontologist character's office. Kudrow said she took Phoebe's rings as a memento and her security badge for the studio where the series was filmed.

The interview will be published in the People magazine edition that goes on sale on Friday. https://people.com/tv/friends-reunion-exclusive-go-inside-the-emotional-hbo-max-special-with-the-6-stars

 

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)