The Producers On Friends Instantly Realized They Messed Up Bringing In Jean-Claude Van Damme Based O
During its 10 seasons, Friends had so many memorable episodes. In the following, we're going to take a closer look at one in particular that featured extra pressure for the cast. It aired right after the Super Bowl in 1996. The sitcom was given a full hour, and they took advantage, with several top tier guest stars appearing, including Jean-Claude Van Damme. Although Van Damme appearing on the show sounded appealing back then, but it was far from the reality behind the scenes.
We'll take a closer look at the cameo, along with the reveal Matt LeBlanc made on how guest stars weren't always impressive, and were basically saved by the excellent writing from those behind the scenes. In addition, we'll reveal another problematic guest star who felt as though the cast were 'less than' during his cameo in the early seasons.
Matt LeBlanc Revealed Guest-Stars On Friends Usually Weren't Impressive
Friends had several A-list type guest-stars throughout its decade long run. Among the more memorable included Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis, both stars nailed their time on the show. However, that wasn't the case with every guest star, and this was confirmed by cast member Matt LeBlanc.
Speaking alongside Glamour, LeBlanc had major praise for the writing team on Friends. According to the actor, it was the writing that allowed the characters on the show to thrive, and that held true for the guest stars that weren't as impressive.
He reveals, "You can't be funny if you don't have good material."
"On Friends, we had some guest-stars who were less than spectacular, not the stunt-casting, but just regular guest-stars, and they weren't particularly great actors, but the material was so good that they scored. It's the writing."
Guest stars can attest to this. Jennifer Coolidge revealed that her experience was flawed given how serious the environment was. Kristin Davis also revealed that she couldn't sleep the night before given the pressure involved in appearing on such a hot show at the time.
It seems like on guest star was in a league of his own in terms of both behavior and performance.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Refused To Attach The Proper Emotions To His Lines When The Friends Producers Tried To Give Their Input
It turned into the second most-watched episode of all-time. Titled 'The One After the Superbowl', the creators of Friends had big plans for the 1996 episode, bringing in major guest stars, including Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Chris Isaak and Jean-Claude Van Damme among others.
Everyone who appeared on the episode received praise from those behind the scenes, except for one man, Jean-Claude Van Damme... Those behind the scenes knew it was going to be a tough task after the actor brushed off some advice that was given to him.
Not only did he show up hours late, but he also refused to listen to what Kevin S. Bright had to say. "No! First, I memorize lines. Then you give me the feeling."
Problems would continue on-set, as it seems as though Van Damme was overly eager during his kissing scenes with Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox.
"He's unprepared and arrogant! But this is the story I want to share: We shoot him and Jennifer first. Then she walks over to me and says 'Lem, Lem, would you do me a favor and ask him not to put his tongue in my mouth when he's kissing me?'"
Looking back at the cameo, it was viewed as a major negative from those behind the scenes, especially from a storyline standpoint as Monica and Rachel basically turn on each other for the actor's attention. As expected, Van Damme was not requested for a return, but he did ask someone backstage to fetch him some cereal before leaving... True story.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Wasn't The Only Guest-Star That Rubbed The Cast The Wrong Way
In a candid discussion with Howard Stern, Jennifer Aniston revealed other problematic guest stars on the show. Although she didn't name the person in particular, Jen revealed that a certain star felt above the show early on during his cameo. It was later revealed to be Fisher Stevens.
Aniston recalls with Stern, “It was as if they were just too ‘above’ this, to be on a sitcom,” Aniston said. “And I remember when we were doing a network run-through, the network and the producers would just laugh. And this person would be like, ‘Listen to them, just laughing at their own jokes. So stupid, not even funny."
To his credit, Stevens did agree to what was said, and apologized to Aniston for it personally. The actor revealed that at that point in his career, he had never been on a sitcom, so he wasn't aware of the laid back norms behind the scenes. The fact that the show hadn't taken off yet could've also attributed to his behavior.
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