Friends: Phoebe and Mike weren't meant to end up together, but Paul Rudd was too charming to drop

An important lesson to be learnt here - once you Paul Rudd, everybody else is a dud

Paul Rudd is an incredibly charming man, this we know.

So charming, in fact, that he managed to alter the entire course of television's most wildly successful and popular show. As it turns out, Phoebe was never actually meant to end up with Rudd's dopey, adorable Mike at the end of Friends; yet the actor made such an impression on honchos that he proved too difficult a character to drop.

This news comes straight from the mouth of Phoebe's intended love Hank Azaria, who played the stuttering, science-loving David. As fans know, Phoebe and David made their tearful farewells after the latter decided to pursue his career on being awarded a grant to study in Minsk.

However, Azaria revealed to Huffington Post that this wasn't originally meant to signal the end of their love affair; one which eventually saw Phoebe fall for and marry Mike, even after David's return and his attempt to rekindle their relationship.

"No, I didn’t know that was the end of David," the actor said of his character's Minsk departure. "The plan always was kind of to bring him back. I think, honestly, what happened was Paul Rudd is so awesome that they sort of found a groove with him and [my character] became more of just the grist for that mill. As opposed to the other way around."

"It actually did sting a little bit," Azeria responded when asked how he felt about the decision. "Whatever part of me is David the Science Guy who went to Minsk, which admittedly is probably a small part of me [laughs], but that part of me wanted to end up with Phoebe. So I was sort of sad when I didn’t."

"He certainly has gone on to prove that he was comedically deserving of Phoebe’s love," he said of Rudd. "He’s a handsome devil. He’s actually annoyingly handsome. He shouldn’t really be allowed to be that handsome. He’s like the Tom Brady of comedy."

Azaria himself, however, needn't worry too much about his own television future considering he's just earned an Emmy nomination for his work on Ray Donovan. Let's just make sure Paul Rudd doesn't decide to make a guest appearance there.