10 of our favourite ‘Friends’ guest appearances

Brad Pitt: Probably the most famous of the numerous cameos, this one was special because Pitt was married to cast member Jennifer Aniston at the time. In the episode titled ‘The One with the Rumor’ from season eight, Pitt played Will Colbert, who went to high school with Ross, Rachel and Monica. Back in the day, Will was on the heavier side and was apparently bullied by a younger Rachel. When Will shows up for Thanksgiving dinner, Rachel is enamoured by the now slimmer and very handsome Will. However, Will is still bitter about the bullying and gives Rachel the cold shoulder through the evening. Hilarity ensues when Rachel finds out that Ross and Will had founded an ‘I Hate Rachel Green’ club when they were in school.

Alec Baldwin: In season eight, the ‘30 Rock’ actor played Phoebe’s boyfriend for two episodes. His character Parker was extremely annoying — but not for the reason you might think. Some people believe in killing with kindness, and Parker believed in killing with happiness and positivity. For example, then he’s invited to Ross and Monica’s parents’ 35th wedding anniversary, he irritates everyone including Phoebe with his boundless enthusiasm for the most trivial of things.

Julia Roberts: The ‘Pretty Woman’ actress had a pretty funny cameo in season two of the show. In it, Roberts played the character Susie Moss, who went to school with Chandler and was the victim of one of his pranks. The prank involved Chandler lifting up her skirt and leading her to be known as ‘Susie Underpants’ in fourth grade. They reunite as grown ups and start dating, only for Susie to use this opportune moment to get revenge on Chandler. You’ll have to watch the show to find what we’re talking about. *Wink wink*

Winona Ryder: The ‘Stranger Things’ actress played Rachel’s former sorority sister Melissa Warburton in the seventh season of the show. When they meet, Rachel brings up a moment from their past where she and Melissa shared a kiss while inebriated, but her friend has no recollection of this. When Rachel tells her buddy Phoebe about this, Phoebe can’t believe that Rachel had this wild phase. In order to prove Phoebe wrong, Rachel ends up kissing Melissa again — and it turns out Melissa does remember and has been in love with Rachel since then.

Ben Stiller: The actor had a memorable cameo as Rachel’s boyfriend who is the subject of the episode’s title ‘The One With The Screamer’. In this one, Stiller plays Tommy who appears to be a regular guy. Ross sees Tommy yelling at an elderly couple and tried to convince Rachel that Tommy has a temper. Later, the truth comes out when Tommy is found screaming at Chandler and Joey’s chick and duck.

Christina Applegate: The actress hilarious was watch as the self-centred Amy Greene, Rachel’s sister, in two episodes. Some of the most memorable moments included Amy calling Ross and Rachel’s daughter Ella, even though her name is Emma, and getting Emma’s ears pierced without getting permission from her parents. Applegate even won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role.

Reese Witherspoon: Rachel got a visit from her other sister Jill Green, played by Witherspoon. Like Amy, Jill is pretty spoiled and self-centred as well and causes havoc when she tried to get Rachel to help her get a job after being cut off from her father’s money. This doesn’t go according to plan, and at some point Jill ends up dating Ross.

Bruce Willis: The actor played Rachel’s boyfriend Paul Stevens on the show. They meet because Paul’s young daughter is dating Ross. However, Rachel ends up dumping Paul because he goes from stoical to an emotional wreck. Willis reportedly appeared on the show after losing a bet with Matthew Perry. The actor eventually won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series in 2000 for playing Paul Stevens.

Sean Penn: The actor starred as Eric, the fiance of Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula. He ends up finding out that Ursula isn’t the person she says she is, and ends up dating Phoebe for a while. However, things don’t work out between them.

Susan Sarandon: The veteran star had a role within a role in the show. She played actress Cecilia Monroe, a star of ‘Days of Our Lives’, which Joey also had a role in. The scenes in which she turned mentor to Joey and tried to polish his questionable acting skills made them a fun pair. Sarandon as the fading diva was a hoot. The bizarre storyline where Joey gets her brain transplanted added a wacky twist.