Security around the Warner Bros. lot was very unfriendly for the “Friends” cast’s finale get-together.
People who had precious tickets to a special “Tonight” show taping – with the cast and Jay Leno on the set of “Friends” – were made to park blocks away.
Shuttle buses were used to bring the audience in.
Audience members clutched oversized red tickets that showed they were allowed in the Warner Bros. studio lot shortly before 4 p.m. West Coast time.
NBC – which had worked the hoopla surrounding the finale into a high pitch – refused to allow reporters onto the set to watch the last hurrah.
That way, the secrecy of the finale’s plotline was protected for at least a few more hours – until the show was aired at 9 p.m. on the East Coast.
Audience members said the cast was very subdued during the “Tonight” show interviews that followed the private screening.
There were no tears or high emotions from the actors, they said.