The 'Ant-man' actor and the 'Riverdale' star were originally invited to the upcoming much-awaited reunion special but the two actors couldn't make it for the taping.

• May 30, 2021

AceShowbiz - Guest stars including Paul Rudd and Cole Sprouse were left out of "Friends: The Reunion" due to time constraints and the Covid-19 pandemic, director Ben Winston has confirmed.

The show reunited the main cast of the beloved sitcom and even featured guest stars like Lady GaGa, Cindy Crawford, and Justin Bieber.

However, Cole, Paul and many other more recognisable guest stars didn't turn up, with Ben telling The Wrap "there were hundreds of amazing people who were in Friends over the years" so "we couldn't get everybody in."

"It's only an hour and 45 minutes," he said of the HBO Max and Sky special. "You've got to pay attention - the main nub of the show has got to be about the six cast members."

The director added, "You know, we did invite some people who weren't able to make it. It's a complicated time to be making television now because, you know, some people couldn't fly internationally, some people were on other TV or film shoots, some people are in bubbles on stuff."

"I think during a pandemic, it's really hard to get everybody where you want to be. And the other thing, of course, is we have no flexibility," he continued.

"The timing of it was incredibly difficult. So, you know, if you weren't available on the seventh of April at 8 pm, then, sadly, they weren't able to be part of it."

"yeah, we couldn't get everybody in. it's just one of those things. i hope people will think about all the great things that are in there rather than the things that aren't."

Paul starred as Mike Hannigan, Phoebe's eventual husband, in the final two seasons of "Friends", while Cole was Ben Gellar, Ross' son.