Audiences loved the hit series Friends, but appearing on the show turned into a nightmare for Debra Jo Rupp. Multiple celebrities, both established and rising stars, made appearances on the beloved sitcom during the 10 seasons it was on the air. Many of the guest stars had a lot of fun working with the main cast, and appearing on the show.
However, not every celebrity who made a guest-appearance enjoyed their experience on the show. Many people are familiar with That 70's Show's Debra Jo Rupp, who became a fan-favorite with her hilarious portrayal of Eric's (Topher Grace) mother, Kitty Forman. She has also been involved with several other projects. This includes appearing on Friends, which ended up turning into a nightmare for Debra Jo Rupp.
Why 'Friends' Turned Into A Nightmare For Debra Jo Rupp
Friends was, and still remains an incredibly popular show, despite some of the show's more problematic material from when it originally aired. Many celebrities appeared on the show once or multiple times as guests, even cast member Jennifer Aniston's then-husband, Brad Pitt.
While many enjoyed their time working on the beloved series, some didn't enjoy working on the show, or with the main cast. The main cast members included: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc. The group became incredibly close on the set.
Debra Jo Rupp portrayed Alice Knight-Buffay, Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) half-brother Frank's girlfriend, then wife on the show. Phoebe's half-brother was played by Giovanni Ribisi, a younger actor. Part of the storyline was that Alice had been Frank's former high school teacher.
Joking about their age gap with Entertainment Weekly, Rupp revealed she was "horrified", especially during the first episode. "The first episode we did, all we did was make out. Giovanni was 12 and I was 85." However, the age difference also turned filming her scenes into a nightmare, as Rupp had to make out more than expected with Ribisi.
"I was horrified. I was absolutely horrified. Every time we got a rewrite in the script, there would be more making out! I would just go, 'Oh my god. Oh my god! I just gotta close my eyes and do it. What else am I gonna do?'"
Despite the trouble filming her scenes, the WandaVision actress has said filming with Ribisi made the process much easier.
What Has Rupp Said About Working With Her Castmates?
Numerous celebrities appeared on Friends, and have discussed their time on the show. Debra Jo Rupp appeared on six episodes, but admitted she didn't really get to know the main cast members, other than Kudrow, who she worked with directly.
"There was no socializing, there was no chit chat there. They weren't like mean or dismissive or condescending at all. I also remember I was shooting when Matthew [Perry] was having problems [with alcohol and drug abuse], but I did not know it at the time."
She continued, "That might have colored things a little bit. I don't know how it could not. [But] they were very professional." She did admit coveting Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston's costume after seeing her own.
Rupp joked, "I remember going to wardrobe and being in this room or trailer with all of these very beautiful clothes for Jennifer and Courteney, and then at the end of the row would be my clothes which were taken out of storage room, 20 years old, who knows how many people had worn them."
She added, "But that was my character! It was completely appropriate."
Appearing On 'Friends' Changed Rupp's Career
And although filming certain scenes on the show were tough for Debra Jo Rupp, she had help from another guest star, Giovanni Ribisi, who played her love interest. She was nervous about filming their scenes together at first, but revealed that the actor made things much easier for her on-set.
According to Yahoo!, Debra Jo Rupp was "horrified" during her appearance on Friends, but the show also changed her life. However, she revealed how her on-screen love interest helped her feel more at-ease, and how the show changed her life.
"He was such a sweet guy," Rupp told Entertainment Weekly. "We'd get on set and rehearse and I just looked at him like, 'I don't know...' and Giovanni went, 'Well, we're just gonna go for it.' Boom, and he's on me!"
She added, "And then, because I am a little bit of a comedy w**** - I will do anything for a laugh - once I realized that it was really funny, I was fine. I'm so fine with this."
The show also changed her life when her what was supposed to be an appearance in one episode was turned into six. Needing to write Lisa Kudrow's pregnancy into the show, it was decided to use Debra Jo Rupp and Giovanni Ribisi's characters as the reason.
Rupp said, "They had to figure out what to do and they came up with this story line with me and Giovanni." Rupp was thrilled to return. "I knew the show. I loved the show. I thought it was really funny."
She also revealed the show helped her financially. "It helped save my home because I was going through a dry spell. One of the great things about being an actor is that it can turn around overnight and it can turn around either way."
She added that the exposure on Friends helped her land one of her most well-known roles. "So the money was helpful and the visibility helped because right after that, I got three pilots, and one of them was That 70's Show."
