Throughout its history, Friends featured several memorable guest stars on the show. Names that instantly come to mind include Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Reese Witherspoon, just to name a few.
Jennifer Coolidge is another name that put on a memorable performance during her one episode stint. Monica and Phoebe were doing their best to dodge a former friend, which turned out to be Jennifer Coolidge's character, Amanda.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the actress thrived in her role, however, behind the scenes, she didn't feel as great about the cameo.
We'll take a look back at the show's history when it comes to unscripted lines. In addition, we're going to reveal how Coolidge felt about her time on the sitcom, and what went down when she pitched her own lines to the decade-long series.
Friends Featured Several Memorable Moments Of The Cast Going Off The Script
Friends did things differently during their shoot and a big reason for modifications, had to do with the crowd reaction. The show wasn't always sticking to the script, and was completely open to changing lines, while giving their main cast members the freedom to improv from time to time.
This created some special moments, and iconic lines. Matthew Perry was known for his brilliance and going off-script. His iconic, "you need to stop the Q-tip when there's resistance," to Joey was an unscripted line.
Among the other memorable unscripted lines, includes Ross' "I take the Rachel" line, which was inspired by the show after an outtake from David Schwimmer, who accidentally said Rachel in one his lines.
Jennifer Aniston also received a huge ovation for her improv skills, arguing with Ross over their marriage. She uttered the iconic line, "This isn't a marriage, this is just the world's worst hangover!" The moment was a classic, and completely organic.
However, as it turns out, the show wasn't as flexible with guest-stars.
Jennifer Coolidge Tried To Put Her Own Creative Spin, But The Show Didn't Want To Hear It
Jennifer Coolidge fit right in during her guest-star appearance on Friends during season 10, playing the role of Amanda Buffamonteezi. Although she fit right in from a standpoint on-screen, it wasn't the same ordeal behind the scenes.
Coolidge admitted that she wanted to share some creative output in regards to her character, but the showrunners really weren't open to any ideas outside of the script.
"Sometimes I think people want to hear my ad-libs when I get on a show, and they really don't. Sometimes I come in and throw some lines, and they come up and say, 'You know, Jennifer, we're just going to stick to the script.' That was a serious show."
Coolidge would also refer to the vibe behind the scenes as serious, despite the fact that she knew Lisa Kudrow prior.
"The vibe was pretty serious," she continued. "I don’t think they wanted my input, and I could really feel that…sticking to their own stuff. So I didn’t have the guts [to push]."
It wasn't exactly what Jennifer had expected, and overall, she called the experience an intimidating one.
Jennifer Coolidge Called Her Experience On Friends, "Intimidating"
Guest stars seem to be mixed when talking about their appearances on Friends. Some had a blast, while others called the main stars of the show, a clique.
As for Jennifer Coolidge, she said the vibe was intimidating, given the good looks and star power of the main cast.
"I have to say, I was kind of intimidated, even though I knew Lisa because she was in a comedy group. But I didn't know the rest of them, and I was very intimidated because they were all so attractive and had it going on."
"I'm just going to do my little part and I'll be in my dressing room."
Coolidge did say the main cast was very nice, but that she kept to herself during the guest cameo. The actress would also reveal that she got the freedom to do her own thing while dancing on the show.
"The only thing I improvised was they wanted me to dance awkwardly, so I felt like I had a natural ability to dance that way. I think that was the only time they didn’t give me direction; they wanted me to say the lines and call it a day."
Despite the direction, Coolidge thrived in her small part on the show.
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