By Janet Singleton.
MONTREAL--Will they or won't they? The question has been asked before by TV viewers. Take, for example, David and Maddie in "Moonlighting", or Sam and Diane in "Cheers." This season, it's Rache and Ross on "Friends". And what viewers really want to know is whether the sensitive paleontologist Ross Geller and waitress-buddy Rachel Green will work out their star- crossed crush and get together. David Schwimmer, who plays the slightly nebbish Ross, isn't telling. However, the Emmy-nominated star is sharing at least one secret-- which is how did a Gen X guy like him make the big time? His story is simple, he says. "Once upon a time there was a guy who worked really, really hard to try to pursue his dream", says Schwimmer. "It's just a lot of hard work and perseverance."
Of course an uninformed outsider might assume the lanky actor took the plunge into stardom pretty abruptly. A year ago before "Friends" sizzled onto NBC and exploded into the Top 10 ratings, the only people for whom Schwimmer was a household name were likely his real friends and family.
These days people stand in line to hear that earnest-sounding voice of his and look upon that pensive face. Backstage at the St. Dennis Theater in Montreal, where Schwimmer recently co-hosted a yearly Quebec comedy festival, the line of reporters who waited to interview the 28-year-old actor included those representing USA Today, TV Guide and Variety. On stage the night before, Schwimmer had told the Canadian audience: "When I told my friends I was going to be on a sitcom, they said, why would they want to put you on a sitcom? You're not funny. "Well, I am funny," he said, in a tone that was bravely assertive yet puppy-doggish. To this, the audience applauded loudly, and one female fan screamed, "We love you, David." This missive went out from a man who describes himself as a "fat geek" during his years at Beverly Hills High School.
But today when interviewed backstage, Schwimmer admits, "I'm stressed." He's been going through his intros for the next night, and he's been spending some time doing some rewriting. The shows are being taped for a Fox Network special that will air later this fall.
His manager pops in with a late, styrofoam-boxed lunch. The dark- haired Schwimmer bites into his sandwich and says the problem with stardom is the vicious time crunch. "There is as much energy directed to publicizing the work as to the work itself,"he says.
A son of two attorneys and educated at Northwestern University, Schwimmer gives no impression of being a candidate for Hollywood's bimboy squad. And for now, he says he's not taking any of his new-found fame for granted. "There's a sore mad man with a spotlight in the sky who's random about where it falls, and just as quickly as it has fallen on you, it could move onto somebody else," says Schwimmer.
Though he admits to a healthy dose of cynicism, Schwimmer says he's not the sad sack shadow of his vulnerable TV character Ross. "I don't think I'm as petulant. I'm usually pretty happy-go-lucky." But he looks so worried on TV. "The character has a lot to worry about," he replies.
True. Ross's pregnant wife left him for another woman. Then he fell in love with Rachel, played by Jennifer Aniston, who saw him as nothing more than a friend until the slickly orchestrated last show of the season. She finds out about his feelings and rushes to the airport, gripping a bouquet, to greet him upon his return from a weeklong business trip to China. Unfortunately, he's about to deboard with a new girlfriend he met while away. As Madonna's farewell- flavored "Take a Bow" plays in the background, an eager-eyed Rach awaits unbeknowst heartache, and the story fades until next fall.
In the season opener, Rachel struggles with her feelings for Ross while he tells her just how great things are going with his new sweetheart. Suddenly, it's Rachel who has a bad case of an unrequited crush. "I hope they get together," gushes one of Schwimmer's publicists. It's possible a large chunk of the nation addicted to "Friends," like the PR woman, are rooting for Rachel and Ross. But it'll be a few more episodes before anyone gets the answer to the "Will they or won't they?" question.
Meanwhile, Schwimmer says he didn't originally head for the sitcom track. He studied drama at Northwestern and co-founded the Chicago's Looking Glass Theatre Company. As a junior he patchworked an off-campus production of "Alice In Wonderland" that went over so well he knew he wanted to keep up the theatrics.
He started edging his way into television a few years ago. He was scorched by the crashed-and-burned series "Monty," Henry Winkler's failed comeback attempt. But an "NYPD Blue" role as a mousy bully- bait mugging victim won him attention. David Crane and Mara Kauffman, "Friend's" executive producers fingered him as perfect for the role of Ross. Now there's talk of Schwimmer becoming the show's breakout star.
"I can't go anywhere without being recognized," he says. "I'm careful about what I say. You feel the impact of something like this touch every part of your life. "I'm responsible for projecting a positive role model." He says that means "treating people decently." So he makes sure he's nice to off- camera types such as the make-up and wardrobe folks. Actually his only publicized riff is with Marcel, the long-tailed actor who played his monkey companion on the show. Reportedly, Schwimmer didn't like working with an actor who couldn't speak English, or rather just couldn't speak, so the monkey is looking for a new job now.
And Schwimmer knows it could happen to him one day. The roller coaster of fame features no safety seats. "No way to tell how long you'll last" he says. "People are fickle, especially in this day and time. There's so much hype, so much media, no one takes you seriously until you can prove yourself. I hear other people say make as much money as you can and get out the business."
But Schwimmer says he's come too far to take a bow. He intends to act long after his Generation X calling card has grown old and dusty. "I intend to be here for the long haul," he says.
Copyright 1995, College Press Service. Distributed by Tribune Media Services.