Friends is one of the most iconic and legendary sitcoms in television history. It aired for 10 seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2004. The show defined a generation of television viewers and still finds new fans every day thanks to syndication.
The show starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer as the titular friends group. It also featured a ton of guest actors that have made memorable appearances.
One of these appearances, however, would be memorable in a different way. An actor who landed a recurring role on the show actually appeared uncredited in an earlier season.
The 'Friends' Cast Remember The Mementos They Each Took From The Set
Before Friends: The Reunion aired on HBO Max in May 2021, the cast sat down with People for an exclusive interview. It was only the second time the entire case was together before the series ended in 2004.
During their reflection on the series, the actors began remembering the various mementos they kept from the set.
Aniston got a hold of one of Monica's dresses. "I went into her line of clothes and I pulled it out, and I still have it and wear to this day. It has tiny little flowers with a black lace V-neck and a little cap sleeve with a little slight ruffle of black lace."
Kudrow kept Phoebe's rings, while Cox said she is "not a person that collects things. And then I regret," she said. "I'm actually going to steal something tonight."
Perry kept a cookie jar from Monica's apartment with a clockface on it. He said he eventually gave it to Kudrow as a present "because she at one point looked at it and thought it was a real clock."
LeBlanc admitted he took a license plate frame which read "I Love Friends." He then attached it to Schwimmer's car and said it took the actor one week before he realized.
"I just stole a little 'Professor Geller' placard from my office at the museum," Schwimmer said. "That and the couch, but that's it."
Debra Jo Rupp Said She Was 'Horrified' By Her Appearance On 'Friends'
Debra Jo Rupp played Alice Knight-Buffay, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Frank Jr., Phoebe's half-brother. Alice first met Frank Jr. when she was his high school Home Ec teacher. This made Phoebe very uncomfortable, especially when the couple kept making out in front of her.
When speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Rupp shared her memories of working on the show.
"The first episode we did, all we did was make out," she said.
"I was horrified. I was absolutely horrified," Rupp said. "Every time we got a rewrite in the script, there would be more making out! I would just go, 'Oh my god. Oh my god! I just gotta close my eyes and do it. What else am I gonna do?'"
Despite her discomfort, Rupp reflects on her time fondly because of Giovanni Ribisi, who played Frank Jr..
She said that he helped calm her down and tried to make her as comfortable as possible.
"He was such a sweet guy. We'd get on set and rehearse and I just looked at him like, 'I don't know … ' and Giovanni went, 'Well, we're just gonna go for it.' Boom, and he's on me!" Rupp said laughing. "And then, because I am a little bit of a comedy whore — I will do anything for a laugh — once I realized that it was really funny, I was fine. I'm so fine with this."
Giovanni Ribisi Played A Different Character On 'Friends' Before Landing The Role Of Phoebe's Brother
In the sixth episode of season two, titled "The One With the Baby on the Bus," Phoebe gets replaced as the musical entertainment at Central Perk. She decides to take her act out on the sidewalk, performing for the passers-by. She leaves her guitar case open for tips and someone accidentally drops a condom in it. This guy would come back to retrieve it.
The man who played the role was none other than Giovanni Ribisi. Ribisi would have a recurring role on the show with Frank Jr., appearing in several episodes.
However, when Ribisi made his first appearance on Friends, he was uncredited. He was simply credited as "Condom Boy." Apparently, Ribisi was originally an extra on the show and he was so well-liked, a character was created and written for him.
"I did another show with the same producers, concurrent with Friends, and I guess the network decided to pick up one of them and not pick up the other," Ribisi told Vulture. "So I knew them and they were friends of mine. I started working on Friends, I think it was 20 years ago now."
He continued, "A lot of it, you know they would call up and say, 'Come on, can you just come and do this thing? You’ve gotta throw the condom in it' I think I was mainly focused on trying to do movies at the time. Whatever. So many times when I would do an episode, I would be working on another film. So honestly, I have vague recollections of it."
Ribisi went on to praise the show and share his positive memories of the cast.
"I know that the cast, they’re just some of the nicest people and I think they did something on a pop-culture level that really impinged, and there’s something to learn from that. But you know, that’s 20 years ago."
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