Friends is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a pop-up Central Perk coffee shop in New York. We’re celebrating by putting together a list of the hottest heartthrobs who made cameos on the show.
I am trying very hard to come to terms with the fact that Friends is 20 years old. That simply cannot be true, because that would mean I was 20 years older than I was when it premiered and I feel exactly the same as I did back then. So, even though I’m convinced that all of this is some sort of strange trick to make me think I’m older than I actually am, I’ve come to accept the fact that Friends is indeed celebrating its 20th anniversary.
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If you live in New York, you’ll get the chance to celebrate this milestone in a very cool and hip way. According to Time, a pop-up version of Central Perk (the iconic coffee shop from the series) will be opening its doors on Wednesday, Sept. 17 and will be open until Saturday, Oct. 18.
Fans will have one whole month to enjoy the atmosphere of the famous coffee house while checking out displays of memorabilia from the show. On display will be signed scripts, behind-the-scenes photos and costumes from the show. You can also catch a glimpse of paraphernalia, such as a VHS copy of Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula’s naughty X-rated movie, Buffay the Vampire Layer.
For those of us who can’t make it to New York, we’ll just have to live with watching reruns of the show over and over again. We can also look back at some of the hottest ’90s heartthrobs who made cameos on the show.
George Clooney and Noah Wyle
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The stars of NBC’s popular show, ER, made an appearance and sent fans’ hearts fluttering when they treated Rachel’s sprained ankle.
Freddie Prinze, Jr.
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Prinze, Jr. had a memorable role as Emma’s “manny,” who made Rachel’s knees weak and Ross kinda want to throw up.
Chris Isaak
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One of the hottest singers of the ’90s played a singer-songwriter who gave Phoebe permission to sing her very candid song lyrics to children. The kids loved it; the parents not so much.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
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The uber-hot action star played himself when Monica and Rachel ran into him on the set of his latest film. There began the greatest fight of all time as the two roomies fought over who would get to date him.
You can celebrate Friends‘ 20th anniversary at Central Perk >>
Brad Pitt
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Who can forget Jennifer Aniston’s real-life husband (at the time)? He played an old high school friend of Ross’ who hated Rachel so much he actually formed a club. It was awesome.
Jon Favreau
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Favreau may be known for the Iron Man movies now, but back in the ’90s, he was super hot after his movie, Swingers, became a smash hit. He played Monica’s ridiculously rich boyfriend, which made women jealous all over the world.
Ben Stiller
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Stiller is known for mostly playing good guys (such as in the ’90s hit, There’s Something About Mary). So, it was especially hilarious to see him play a man with a temper so bad he tended to scream.
Giovanni Ribisi
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Ribisi played Phoebe’s younger half-brother, who was both an idiot and the sweetest guy you ever wanted to meet.
Steve Zahn
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Zahn was Phoebe’s gay ex-husband with a shocking secret: He was actually straight! He was also known as the funny guy in That Thing You Do!
Dermot Mulroney
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In the ’90s, Mulroney was best known for his role in My Best Friend’s Wedding. But on Friends, he played Gavin, the guy who was after Rachel’s job when she went on maternity leave.
Adam Goldberg
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Goldberg was absolutely hilarious as the roommate Chandler picked after Joey moved out. He was insane and liked to do things such as dehydrating fruit and watching Chandler sleep.
George Newbern
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It’s not a surprise that Newbern, known in the ’90s for such roles as Chicago Hope and the Father of the Bride films, would end up on Friends. What’s really surprising is that he now plays a truly disturbed assassin on Scandal.
Michael Rapaport
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Rapaport played Phoebe’s police officer boyfriend, but their relationship was over as soon as she watched him shoot a bird for chirping too loudly outside of his window.
Michael Vartan
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Vartan played the son of the equally hot Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck) who treated Monica’s eye after a Thanksgiving accident. He left her with an eye patch and the willies when she realized both father and son kissed the same. Ick, that just gave us the willies, too.
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Tate Donovan
www.youtube.com/embed/dPrUIM8GLS0
Before he was Jimmy Cooper on The O.C., Donovan was known for a couple of roles in great films like Memphis Belle and Love Potion No. 9 (which co-starred Sandra Bullock). On Friends, he played Joshua, the man that Rachel did everything she could (including donning her old cheerleader uniform) to win him over.
How have you been spending the 20th anniversary of Friends?
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