For Millennials. By Millennials.
Over the years, ‘Friends’ has had a lot of guest appearances by celebrities. However, one of the most notable ones was definitely Brad Pitt’s cameo on the NBC sitcom. At the time, he was famously dating Jennifer Aniston, one of the main stars of the show. And the show’s creator has revealed that it was Aniston, in fact, who pressurized Pitt to make an appearance on the show.
How Jennifer Aniston forced Brad Pitt to appear on ‘Friends’
As the legend of ‘Friends’ grows bigger, cast and crew members of the show delve deeper into what made that show so great. Similarly, the show’s creator David Crane spilled some facts about Hollywood’s golden boy’s appearance on the show. While talking to Hollywood Life, Crane revealed that Brad Pitt was actually hesitant to appear on the show. And that he finally caved in due to Aniston’s pressure tactics. He said:
“I think [there was] a little bit [of hesitation]. Only because he’d (Pitt) never done TV in front of an audience, and it’s a very specific skill set. I think it’s probably a little intimidating if you haven’t done it before. Obviously, it was up to him, and it was up to [Aniston], and it was just a great piece of casting,”
Moreover, Brad Pitt also confirmed this in an interview that he gave to US Weekly. He even remembers that he “flubbed” his first line, saying:
“I remember it. It’s a great cast, man. I mean, they laugh and really have a great time with each other. But I flubbed my first line. We had to stop and start again”
Despite his hesitation, Brad Pitt did really well in his brief cameo on the show. So much so that he even won a nomination for an Emmy Award in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. However, that appearance did stir some controversy. And it’s not at all about what you think
How the cameo stirred controversy
Brad Pitt portrayed Will Colbert in the episode “The One with the Rumor” of ‘Friends’ season 8. They mentioned that in school, Will and Ross started a club where they spread a rumor that Rachel Green was a hermaphrodite. They did so to hurt Rachel’s reputation. And when she heard of it on Thanksgiving dinner, she forced Ross to call and tell everyone that it was just a rumor.
The problem fans had with this was that it assumed that there were some negative connotations with being a hermaphrodite. The intersex community felt extremely insulted and reached out to NBC as well, calling out the ignorance of the show. Brad Pitt’s cameo may be memorable with Jennifer Aniston, but it isn’t recalled as fondly by everyone.
