10 Friends Stars Who Regret Their Time On The Show (10 Who Were Sweethearts)

Vincent Paul Gerard Ventresca doesn’t mind being recognized as ‘Fun Bobby’, 25 years later. The star shares that Monica’s on-and-off boyfriend, “was sort of the opposite of what his name promised." Now that the show is popular on Netflix, he’ll be out in public and someone will recognize him. He said, “Somebody told me they were at some burrito stand somewhere in North Carolina and the hangover cure was the ‘Fun Bobby' burrito.'"

Twenty-five years ago, in 1994, six relative unknowns became stars, almost overnight. The show, Friends, featured six twenty-somethings (who were later in their thirties), as they ‘struggled’ with love, life, and careers in the 1990s, into the early 2000’s.

This was a golden age in television. Trending for fashion and comedy, the show remains one of the most popular sitcoms ever made. With the show streaming on Netflix, new generations from all over the world are spending time with Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, and Phoebe. With 236 episodes, Jennifer Aniston breaking the Internet by joining Instagram, and an upcoming reunion in the works, people still have a lot to say about the show.

While the show was a positive experience for many, for others it was not, whether they were series regulars or short-lived guest stars. Here are 10 Friends stars who totally regretted their time on the hit show, and 10 who were sweethearts and look back on it fondly.

20 Kathleen Turner Has Regrets

Kathleen Turner was a big name, so fans were impressed when she was cast to portray Chandler’s biological father, a trans woman. It turns out the cast was indifferent. Kathleen Turner said, “(I) didn’t feel very welcomed by the cast.” Turner added that it was clear that she was in pain from her shoes, however, “none of the actors thought to offer me a seat.”

19 Everyone Loves Paul Rudd

Paul Rudd is known as one of the most down-to-earth dudes in Hollywood, so, naturally, he would mesh well with the Friends cast, even though he didn’t join (as Mike Hannigan) until near the end of the series. Some say he saved the show, as Mike eventually married Phoebe.

Paul enjoyed his time on Friends, even though he barely watched the sitcom himself. Rudd says that when people recognize him on the street, it’s for three reasons: Ant Man, I Love You, Man, and then, occasionally, someone will ask him, “How’s Phoebe?”

18 Elle Macpherson Has Regrets

While fans didn’t love Macpherson’s character on the show because she messed with Joey’s mind and wasn’t very nice to Chandler or Monica, if Elle had a time machine, she’d also want a do-over. She said, “If I’d known how important it was in the US, or how long it would be on TV, I may not have chosen to do it. It was a lot of pressure if you look at it in the way that it will be around for 20 or 30 years.”

17 Christina Applegate Was A Total Sweetheart

Being on Friends was like an acting reunion for Christina Applegate, who was cast to play Rachel’s sister. Applegate said, “I've known Matthew Perry since we were kids. We did a movie called Dance Until Dawn together when we were little babies. But I've known him for 100 years. (David) Schwimmer's amazing and Lisa and Courtney (Cox), I've known from like, 20-something years prior. It was just a great group, a lot of love there.”

In addition to this, Applegate gushed that she and Jennifer Aniston really bonded while working together, and that, of course, Matt LeBlanc had previously worked with her on Married With Children.

16 Ben Stiller Regrets?

Remember when Ben Stiller played the angry guy who only got mad in front of Ross and then got caught yelling at the chick and the duck? While that character only got one episode on the show, some of that may have to do with rumors circulating that Stiller is extremely difficult to work with.

A post from Your Tango, from a movie extra on a film he was working on, stated that Stiller whined and complained a lot and was prone to tantrums. Maybe he was perfectly cast for that brief cameo in Friends after all?

15 Courteney Cox Supports Her Co-Stars To This Day

Courteney Cox was arguably the most famous person on the show, when Friends first premiered in 1994. The bonds she formed with her co-stars still stand strong to this day. When speaking about her five fellow co-stars, Cox said, “I would do anything to be in a room with all of those people.” Maybe she was the main driver for the reunion.

14 Brooke Shields Has Regrets

Friends may have been a breaking point in the marriage between Brooke Shields and tennis pro husband, Andre Agassi. When Shields played a stalker pursuing Joey, it was uncomfortable, hilarious, comedic gold, but her husband didn’t think so. Agassi reportedly lashed out at Shields saying, “she made him look like a fool” in front of the cast and crew.

In her memoir, Shields wrote about how he also went home and destroyed each of the trophies he had won in a fit of rage. Their marriage, not surprisingly, only lasted around two years.

13 Cole Sprouse, Total Sweetheart

Cole Sprouse is now the star of Riverdale. He was one of the twins who played Ben, Ross’s son on Friends, and Cole still has fond memories of his time on the show. Sprouse said it was intimidating at first: “I was quite young. And all the actors were older. But I remember all those worries kind of fading away when the cast was so nice. I was schooling on set when I was there and have a lot of interesting memories about the sort of famous individuals who were filtering around, and hangin' around backstage. But I had a really wonderful time.” His favorite episode was the one where Ross dressed up as the “holiday armadillo”.

12 Tate Donovan Has Regrets

Jennifer Aniston worked hard to get her then-fiancé, Tate Donovan, to portray her love interest-turned-boyfriend, Joshua, on the show. Unfortunately, Donovan was given the part just as the two were calling it quits in real life.

The star told the Huffington Post that working through the breakup was “horrible” and awkward and even admitted that he’d have to head back to his dressing room to regroup (and weep about their breakup). He did say that all his co-stars were very kind to him, and he wished Aniston well.

11 Other Characters Gushed About David Schwimmer

Lauren Tom, the actor who portrayed Julie, was particularly tickled by the way that the main cast included her during filming. She said, “I thought it was really incredible that they would include someone who just had a recurring part in their little tight-knit group.” Thom felt it important to discuss her warm feelings for David Schwimmer, whom she shared many scenes with, in terms of his talent and the fact that he was “a great guy”.

10 Matthew Perry Has Regrets

Matthew Perry struggled with crippling addiction issues throughout his time on Friends. When asked by BBC2 Radio which episode of the show he liked the least, he gave a surprising response. Perry said, “I think the answer is, I don't remember three years of it, so none of those ... somewhere between Season three and six." The star embarrassingly said to People Magazine, “Eventually things got so bad that I couldn't hide it, and then everybody knew.” Thankfully, everyone has continued to stand by Perry in his journey towards sobriety.

9  Lauren Tom Understood Why Everyone Hated Julie

Lauren Tom played Julie, Ross’s super sweet ex-girlfriend who everyone loved to hate. Tom looks back on the role fondly, saying that she still gets recognized several times a week. As for her time on set, it was the audience who was most vicious when it came to Julie. She said, “I wasn't prepared for the amount of venom I was about to receive in a live audience where they actually booed my character. So, I had to get used to that. But I did understand intellectually that, you know, the audience was meant to be rooting for Rachel. Even I was rooting for Rachel, on some level, 'cause I was a fan of the show.”

8 Jennifer Aniston Has Regrets

It’s probably all water under the bridge, particularly since Jennifer Aniston’s divorce, but she only invited half of her former Friends co-stars to her wedding to second hubby, Justin Theroux. Just the ladies got an invite. When asked about it, Matt LeBlanc told People Magazine, "If she wanted me there, I would have been there. I think she's happy. And that's all I care about."

7 The Real 'Fun Bobby' Is A Fun Guy

Vincent Paul Gerard Ventresca doesn’t mind being recognized as ‘Fun Bobby’ 25 years later. The star shares that Monica’s on and off boyfriend, “was sort of the opposite of what his name promised." Now that the show is popular on Netflix he’ll be out in public and someone will recognize him. He said, “Somebody told me they were at some burrito stand somewhere in North Carolina and the hangover cure was the 'Fun Bobby Burrito.'"

6 Matt LeBlanc Has Regrets

Despite being a success, things were rough for Matt LeBlanc. The star said he was so recognizable it was tough to even leave his home. He added, "It was a very dark time, I almost had a nervous breakdown." In 2006, he moved to his California ranch and shifted his time towards his daughter Marina. One thing he doesn’t regret is taking this time with Marina and said, "Spending time with her is the best thing I've ever done. We have a great bond and it's the best thing in my life.”

5 Gunther Banked On The Success Of The Show

The role of Gunther was cast based on barista skills, not acting talent, and James Michael Tyler was given the role because he was the only extra who could master the cafe machinery prop. These days, he continues to work in pop-up shops that celebrate Friends.  Tyler said, “honestly always thought my Master’s in fine arts would get me further in the acting world than knowing how to work an espresso machine! That was a happy accident and I'm very, very grateful to have had that skill."

4 The Original Carol Has Regrets

Going back and rewatching Friends, you may notice that Carol from season one is not the same woman cast for the rest of the series. Apparently the first Carol, actor Anita Baritone, quit the show as soon as she knew her character wasn’t the series regular she had hoped for. She was replaced by Jane Sibett, who managed to appear in 15 episodes, which is nothing to sneeze at, considering what a huge show Friends turned out to be.

3 Everyone Actually Loved Janice

OH MY GOD! Actor Maggie Wheeler was such a huge part of Friends that she was a part of each season of the show. Wheeler was invited to attend the final episode of the show, of which she recounts that both she and the main cast “all cried”. Wheeler loved playing Janet so much that she believes the character has become a part of her.

2 David Schwimmer Has Regrets

Stardom hit David Schwimmer particularly hard and the star spent many years as a recluse because the fame of Friends followed him everywhere. He said, "It was pretty jarring and it messed with my relationship to other people in a way that took years, I think, for me to adjust to and become comfortable with.” And that fame made him, “want to hide under a baseball cap and not be seen.”

1 Debra Jo Rupp Learned A Lot From Her Friends

Debra Jo Rupp was happy to learn from a sitcom that did everything right during her six episodes on Friends. Jo Rupp played Phoebe’s half-brother’s home economics teacher,-turned-wife-turned-mother-of-Phoebe’s-surrogate-triplets.

She joked about her costumes, saying, “I remember going to wardrobe and being in this room or trailer with all of these very beautiful clothes for Jennifer and Courtney, and then at the end of the row would be my clothes which were taken out of a storage room, 20 years old, who knows how many people had worn them.”

Sources: Screen Rant, People Magazine, The Huffington Post, Nicki Swift, MSN, Today, Comedy Central, Your Tango

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