Schwimmer on Friends, Ex-Girlfriend

October 26, 2001 -- (NEW YORK) — At the premiere of the NBC World War II miniseries Uprising, David Schwimmer dodged questions about his co-star and ex-girlfriend, Mili Avital, and whether Friends will be back for another year

Schwimmer, looking sleek in a black Zegna suit, graciously posed with fans for photos at Decade, before the screening in the nearby BeekmanTheater (in Europe, Uprising will be shown theatrically). Nearby, was his co-star Avital. The couple who'd been together nearly four years since making Kissing a Fool, recently broke up. "I don't want to say anything really," said Avital, who plays a Warsaw ghetto fighter in Uprising.

Schwimmer was more forthcoming. "We're still great friends, but I guess I'm spending too much time on work these days. But it was definitely a mutual and amicable parting."Could that mean that it was ultimatum time — either march down the aisle or take a hike? Schwimmer didn't even crack a smile, much less answer that suggestion.

Is This the Last Season of Friends?He did venture into Friends territory however. The series has been soundly trouncing CBS's Survivor in this season's ratings, and Schwimmer's Ross having a baby with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) is one of the big reasons. "We're having a great time. In the light of recent events, … it seems people need a break from reality and the news, and they rely, I guess, on the six of us as members of their family."Last summer, when HBO's Band of Brothers was given its European premiere in Normandy, France, Schwimmer made news by saying this was Friends' final season. Is that still true?

"As far as I know, our contracts are up at the end of the season," he said diplomatically. "I've been directing several episodes, as well asacting —and I wouldn't be doing that if I wasn't having such a good time."

Azaria Laments Emmys ShowdownMeanwhile, Uprising co-star Hank Azaria lamented that the miniseries — which tells the dramatic story of Polish Jews in Warsaw's ghetto who rose to fight the previously invincible Nazis — now begins Sunday, Nov. 4, opposite the twice-rescheduled Emmys and a possible World Series game."It's so disappointing," admitted Azaria of the unexpected Sunday night showdown. "But what are you going to do? From the beginning, this has been done with a lot of faith."

Azaria, who isn't prone to exaggeration, calls Uprising, which co-stars Leelee Sobieski, Jon Voight, and Donald Sutherland, "the hardest thing I've ever done. But then you think of what the people went through that you're playing — and you just go do it. It's a little hard to watch," he admitted of the violence. "[But it's] very uplifting. A true story of heroism."