During its popular run,Friendshas hosted many actors who have made brief cameos in the show. Each actor has made an impact on the culturally momentous show, bringing their unique charm and comedy to the already chaotic six friends.Jean-Claude Van Dammeappeared during the second season while the popularity of the show was slowly building. In aninterview with the New York Post, he recountshis experience on set as overall positive but also reveals that he was actually embarrassed about his brief stint on the show, particularly with his acting. Looking back, he believes his performance was slightly awkward, as he was unsure how to fit into the comedy of the sitcom
Prior to this interview,Michael Lembeck, who directed 24Friendsepisodes, including the one Damme was in, hadspoken to the LA Timesabout inappropriate behavior on Damme’s behalf. During the kissing scenes withJennifer AnistonandCourteney Cox, which didn’t make the cut, Lembeck claims thatDamme had been over-zealous with his kisses, making both actors uncomfortable. But neither cast members nor Damme responded to these comments. Either way, with many similar scenarios happening in Hollywood, the importance of intimacy coordinators on sets is highlighted, ensuring actors feel safe and comfortable.
Ross Geller, Rachel Green, Monica Geller, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing, and Phoebe Buffay are six twenty-somethings living in New York City. Over 10 years and seasons, these friends go through life lessons, family, love, drama, friendship, and comedy.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Appears in “The One After the Superbowl: Part 2”
Damme appeared in an episode titled “The One after the Superbowl: Part 2,” which was thesecond part of theFriendsepisodethat earned Lembeck an Emmy. Playing himself, Damme was a part of Monica (Cox) and Rachel’s (Aniston) storyline during the episode, becoming a catalyst for a fight between them. The friends, Chandler (Matthew Perry), Ross (David Schwimmer), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), go to visit Marcel (Ross' star-studded monkey) while he is shooting a film in New York. While Chandler becomes a target for childhood revenge alongsideJulia Roberts’cameo, Rachel and Monica start fawning over Damme, who is also a part of the movie.
Monica initially displays interest in the actor, fussing over “Mussels for Brussels” and touching on his action film history withTimecopandSudden Death, but is too shy to approach the actor. As such, with initial good intentions,Rachel decides to approach Damme on behalf of Monica but instead leaves the conversation with a date for herself.A fight breaks out between the two throughout the episode, with the mention of a threesome putting them off the actor and Phoebe finally forcing them to make amends.
Michael Lembeck Calls Jean-Claude Van Damme “Unprepared and Arrogant”
During an interview with the LA Times, Lembeck relays his experience of working with Damme as tense, from being unprepared and unprofessional on set. On the morning of the shoot,Lembeck got the news that Damme was not arriving on set that day. “[Damme’s] manager says he just flew in from Europe from promoting a movie. He’s tired.” Lembeck recalls, “About another hour or two later, the manager calls and [says he’s not coming].Kevin [Bright]knows how to get the truth from the manager, which is that he was having an anxiety attack.” Damme himself admits that he knew very little about the show saying to theNew York Post, “I didn’t know much about the show. So when I go to the show, I see those two beautiful girls, and they say this is thehottest show right now in the world." As such, the beginning of his experience on set did begin with a hitch.
Lembeck also briefly reveals that in two kissing scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the episode, Damme was given another strike for his behavior. He further elaborates on this in aninterview withThe Hollywood Reporter, calling him “unprepared and arrogant” for initially arriving late on set, then recounting how, during the kissing scene with Aniston, she had spoken to Lembeck and asked, “Lem, Lem, would you do me a favor and ask him not to put his tongue in my mouth when he’s kissing me?“Even after a warning, Damme ended up doing a similar thing with Cox, leading to another “firmer” warning by Lembeck. Executive producer Bright further comments and partially rationalizes his behavior by saying, “Jennifer told me about it and I remember telling her that maybe he doesn’t understand this isn’t the movies? But we asked him several times.” While neither Damme nor theFriendscast members have responded to these comments, the story highlightsthe significance of intimacy coordinatorson set.
Jean-Claude Van Damme Was “Ashamed” of His ‘Friends’ Cameo
While he hasn’t reacted to the previous comments, during his interview with theNew York Post,Damme looks back at his performance on the show and feels “ashamed.” While promoting his whiskey brand,the actor describes his acting as “bad,” further saying he looked “so like a ham.“Damme recounts, “So then I was on the set, and those girls, they go, and they kiss me, and they kiss me on the lips. I didn’t know what to do, how to do…It was strange. They were very nice.” With his filmography being based on his martial arts experience andmostly consisting of action films, this comedic sitcom was certainly a far cry from what he was used to. As such, his stiff and slightly awkward performance likely contributed to this subplot going under the radar, especially next to Perry’s raucous storyline with Roberts.
That being said, during the aforementionedThe Hollywood Reporterinterview, writer Michael Borkow added, “He’s not a comedy star, and I think it showed. On the other hand, we didn’t need him to be funny. We needed a big Hollywood star that the girls would fight over, and he did that great.” As such,his rigid performance enhanced thecomical awkwardness inherent in the storylineanyway. Monica and Rachel’s fight seems more ludicrous, as they allow a famous man to disrupt their friendship. Though the acting may have been unintentional, it fitted seamlessly into the laughable story.
While Damme may not be proud of his acting, he still enjoyed the overall experience.He says making the cameo was a “good memory"and also conveys his admiration for the team. “They were very open because they did the show every day. So for them, I enter into a place where everything is working like a very well-trained mechanic engine,” further describing their efficiency as “amazing.” He also talks about how he was grateful to have contributed to the show that has made such acolossal impact on pop culture, fondly saying that it was more talked about than all of his movies combined.
Friendsis available to stream now on Max in the U.S.
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