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It wasn't uncommon for celebrities to be blindsided by the complicated reality of guest-starring on Friends. Some were shocked by how vocal and opinionated the studio audience was. Others found the stars themselves intimidating for a variety of reasons. But Brooke Sheilds' biggest issue on the set of Friends was her future husband.
When Brooke was featured as Joey's stalker on the iconic Superbowl special in 1995, she was an instant fan favorite. However, according to an excellent oral history of the episode by The Hollywood Reporter, her then-boyfriend (and eventual husband), Andre Agassi was irate with what went down on set. So much so that he reportedly caused a pretty uncomfortable situation.
How Brooke Sheilds Was Cast On Friends
The post-Superbowl episode of Friends was hugely important to the overall success of the show. Given the lead-in from the biggest television event of the year, it was vital that the show's co-creators stack the hour special with big names.
"We never, over the course of doing the show, wrote for a specific guest," Friends co-creator David Crane explained during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "We came up with stories we thought were funny and put it out to our casting to find the best people. But for this episode, we couldn’t just go with a really good actor. We needed names."
"I was on Broadway doing Rizzo in Grease," Brooke Sheilds said during the same interview. "I got a phone call and said yes before I even knew what the part was because they said, “Would you be in the Super Bowl episode?” I was sort of obsessed with the show. There was no way I wasn’t going to do it."
What Happened To Brooke Shields On The Set of Friends
During her interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Brooke explained that each of the cast members was given new material every single day of the shoot. This was due to the endless rewrites.
Not only was the hour-long two-parter far bigger than any other episode of Friends, but it had far larger stakes. Airing after the Superbowl meant the show would either carry over its highest ratings yet or completely lose its audience for doing something so radically different.
"We got new material every day, which was shocking to me," Brooke explained. "I started memorizing and the guys said not to bother. I listened because I was just a day player. Then one day midweek, either Courteney [Cox] or Lisa [Kudrow] asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with the girls at the commissary. They told me, 'We thought you’d be difficult or stuck-up, but you’re cool.'"
One of the most memorable moments during Brooke's guest appearance is when she licks Joey's fingers at the restaurant.
"I was rehearsing a scene where I was licking Matt LeBlanc’s fingers," Brooke explained.
"There’s a maniacal laugh that comes before it," Brooke continued. "Then toward the end of the week, [co-creator] Marta [Kauffman] came up to me and told me not to do it because it made me look too crazy. I thought it was funny, but I figured they knew better. So on show night, I did it another way. Across the stage, Marta yells, 'Put it back in!' The skies opened up."
Why Brooke Shields' Ex-Husband Hates Her Friends' Role
The scene in the restaurant when Brooke puts Matt LeBlanc's fingers in her mouth caused some major tension between her and her then-boyfriend iconic athlete Andre Agassi.
"Brooke was with Andre Agassi at the time. He shows up on shoot night and sits in the audience with the largest hamburger bodyguard," director Michael Lembeck explained to The Hollywood Reporter in an extremely honest interview.
While Brooke reportedly declined to comment on the story when asked by The Hollywood Reporter, Michael recalled the incident between her and Andre in detail.
"[Brooke] does the scene where she starts licking Matt’s hand. Then I see him come down, pull Brooke aside, and eviscerate her because he’s crazy jealous. She’s reduced to tears! I broke the show for a while, and the girls took Brooke aside and loved her, took care of her, and got her back on that stage. She did great because of the support of those three. He was a jacka**."
This incident may have caused some tension between Brooke and Andre, the two married just two years later. However, their union only lasted for two years. According to the Herald Sun, Brooke later claimed the marriage was "a mistake".
