The advent of COVID-19 has not only highlighted the importance of self-care but also encouraged everyone to cherish loved ones, celebrate good times together, and support each other during the downturns. Another positive outcome would be the proliferation of streaming services, allowing viewers around the globe to watch sundry meaningful shows — for instance, the iconic Friends series.
While the popular sitcom has undoubtedly granted audiences of different generations laughs and giggles, it features countless celebrity guest appearances to spice up the show. Some are predictable (sorry, Brad Pitt), but these are not.
Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis definitely did not just get a few laughs when he made his first appearance (Season 6, Episode 21, "The One Where Ross Meets Elizabeth's Dad"), and they can thank Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing in Friends. According to CBR, Willis lost a bet to Perry, who wagered that their movie The Whole Nine Yards would be a box-office hit. As a result, Willis agreed to star in the sitcom for free.
Willis plays Paul Stevens, who confronts Ross (David Schwimmer) about dating his daughter Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden). Despite being disapproving of Ross, the hypocritical Stevens would later be seen dating Ross' will-they-won't-they counterpart, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). Most famous to international audiences as John McClane from Die Hard, nonetheless to Friends fans, Willis is just a big love machine.
Danny Devito
While Danny Devito is no stranger to having a solid directorial catalog and successful sitcoms under his belt, his cameo in Season 10, Episode 11 ("The One Where The Stripper Cries") delights fans with his spot-on comedic timing and smooth dancing skills. Admittedly not with a few misunderstandings beforehand.
As Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) insists on having a male striptease dance show for her bachelorette party, Rachel and Monica (Courtney Cox) hastily find one in the yellow pages. To the girls' dismay, Devito shows up and does not impress the crowd with his exotic dance due to his age and appearance. After Devito gets depressed and thinks that he should quit his profession, the girls ruminate about their discourteous actions and eventually enjoys Devito's unique performance.
Julia Roberts
Known by Chandler once as the girl who carries around a box of animal crackers like a purse, Julia Roberts' character Susie Moss undoubtedly surprises the funny-man with her enhanced physical appearance in Season 2, Episode 13 (" The One After The Superbowl, Part 2").
The two later go on a date similar to that of the two actors in real life. The main difference would be Susie leaving Chandler stranded in the men's room of a restaurant on nothing but her panties. The prank is Susie's payback to Chandler for lifting her skirt in the fourth grade, hence her nickname "Susie Underpants," which traumatizes her.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
In the same episode as Roberts, another romance is brewing with other prominent cast members, specifically a love triangle between Rachel, Monica, and Belgian action-superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van Damme brushes up his comedic and flirting skills when the two girls visit the set of a fictional movie, Outbreak 2.
Monica is initially too shy to ask Van Damme out on a date. Rachel does Monica a favor by approaching the action star, and to her surprise, he's more interested in Rachel. Monica would later go out with Van Damme only to find out that he agreed because Rachel said that Monica would have a threesome with him and Drew Barrymore.
Alec Baldwin
Before receiving a Golden Globe Award for his outstanding performance in 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin both charms and annoys viewers with his role as Parker in Friends, first introduced in Season 8, Episode 17 ("The One With Tea Leaves"); Parker is Phoebe's boyfriend for two episodes, a constantly energetic person who seems to find everything commendable, even the most trivial details.
His talkative and bubbly behavior reaches a boiling point when the annoyed Phoebe asks him to play a no-talking game. Unsurprisingly, he loses within five seconds and suggests they should instead play Jenga. Phoebe promptly breaks up with Parker because she wants to be "much less happy."
Winona Ryder
Baldwin's Beetlejuice (1988) costar, Winona Ryder, also makes a surprising cameo in the series. In Season 7, Episode 20 ("The One With Rachel's Big Kiss"), Ryder plays Melissa Warburton, Rachel's old sorority sister with a big secret.
When Phoebe does not believe that the "vanilla" Rachel had kissed Melissa after drinking too much sangria at a college party, Rachel tries to prove Phoebe wrong by inviting Melissa for dinner, even kissing the latter to make her recall their "entanglement." Melissa takes this wrong way and reveals that she has been in love with Rachel since their kiss at the party. In the end, the two laugh it off as Rachel clarifies she does not swing that way.
Ben Stiller
In Season 3, Episode 22 ("The One With The Screamer"), Ben Stiller leaves a great first impression for both Ross and the viewers when he shows up as Tommy, Rachel's theater date. When Tommy finds an elderly couple sitting in their seats accidentally, he screams at the couple, showing his true colors as a rage-fueled bully. As Ross is the sole witness to this outburst, Rachel still thinks of Tommy as a sweet guy.
Tommy is later caught red-handed by the whole Friends gang when he lashes out on Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler's duck and chick, after which the latter urinates on Tommy's hand. Logically, Rachel breaks up with him, and he's never mentioned in the sitcom again.
Jeff Goldblum
Continuing his legacy as a renowned actor who first got his big break in the celebrated extreme body horror movie, The Fly (1986), Jeff Goldblum plays a legendary actor named Leonard Hayes, auditioning actors for his stage play. He offers Joey confusing advice so that the latter can nail his return audition, such as "don't be afraid to explore the vertical."
Hayes's meaningless advice prompted Joey to think that holding his pee makes him a great actor. At the end, when Hayes is impressed with Joey's fidgety performance and goes in for a hug, Joey loses control of his bladder and relieves himself, much to Hayes's disgust.
Helen Hunt and Leila Kenzle
Aside from being the eccentric but good-natured character Phoebe Buffay, Kudrow is also known for playing Phoebe's twin sister Ursula on another 90s sitcom Mad About You. This culminates in one of the funniest cross-overs in TV history in Season 1, Episode 16 ("The One With Two Parts: Part 1").
As Ursula is a flighty waitress on Mad About You, the show's main character Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt), and her best friend, Fran Devanow (Leila Kenzle) stumble upon Central Perk and are surprised to see Ursula/Phoebe "working" there. The encounter ends with both Jamie and Fran confirming their suspicions that it is Ursula who they just met. Perhaps due to Phoebe's confusion about the two strangers' friendliness towards her.
Billy Crystal and Robin Williams
Fun fact: the cameo of the duo is not in the original script, and the whole skit is apparently ad-libbed. Billy Crystal and Robin Williams happened to be on the same street that Friends was filming, which led to the creators asking Crystal and Williams whether they would like to appear in the show as guest stars.
In the opening sequence of Season 3, Episode 24 ("The One With The Ultimate Fighting Champion"), Monica is telling her friends about her boyfriend, Pete, at their usual couches. Tomas (Williams) and Tim (Crystal) quickly interrupt them, who share the seats with the gang as the shop is unusually crowded with customers. Tomas and Tim's story about the former's wife's infidelity intrigues the six main characters so much that when the duo leaves the shop, Monica could not recall what she was supposed to say about Pete in the first place.