David schwimmer hopes his neighbours will become good friends

The star, most known for the role of Ross in sitcom Friends, recently purchased a historic home in New York's East Village, but knocked it down for a new six-storey mansion instead. The demolition of the property, which was built in 1852 and worth over $4 million, took place before it could be awarded landmark status.

The decision sparked controversy among residents, prompting the graffiti in 2013, which appeared on local blog EVGrieve.com.

But David has "never responded", he tells the Wall Street Journal.

"I never responded. I haven't talked about it," Mr. Schwimmer said. "My plan is to demonstrate that we're good neighbors."

Indeed, he and his wife recently helped to catch an assailant thanks to their CCTV footage of a stabbing on his street.

Mr. Schwimmer added that the East Village was chosen by the couple for their new home because it reminded his wife, Zoe Buckman, of East London, where she was raised.

"She fell in love with it when we were walking around," he told the Journal. "It's incredibly diverse economically, racially, culturally. We really hope that in time we'll just be accepted totally by everyone."

Read the full interview here.