The hit sitcom Friends may be renowned for its plethora of hilarious moments, but it also became known for its stream of star-studded guest appearances throughout its ten-season run.
From Robin Williams to Bruce Willis, the show featured a real "who's who" of legendary actors who stopped by for a coffee in Central Perk or to interact with the beloved Joey, Chandler, Ross, Phoebe, Rachel, and Monica.
Among these special appearances was none other than the action legend Jean-Claude Van Damme. The "Muscles from Brussels" appeared on the show in its second season, offering fans a mix of humor and that quintessential JCVD charm. But although Van Damme earned plenty of laughs with his appearance, it turns out that he doesn't look back on the role too fondly. Relive the star's cameo below:
In the episode titled 'The One After the Superbowl, Part 2', the Friends crew find themselves on the set of Joey's fictional film "Outbreak 2: The Virus Takes Manhattan". It's here that Van Damme - portraying himself - becomes the center of a hilarious romantic rivalry between Monica and Rachel (played by Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston respectively), as both attempt to land a date with the actor.
Though this episode aired back in 1996, Van Damme's thoughts on his performance have surfaced in a recent interview with the New York Post. "My acting is so bad. I look so like a ham. Like, 'Hey, girls.' … It’s like, I’m ashamed of myself," the action star candidly admitted.
Reflecting on the on-set dynamics, Van Damme recalled his surprise at the unexpected kisses from Aniston and Cox. "So, then I was on the set, and those girls, they go, and they kiss me, and they kiss me on the lips. I didn’t know what to do, how to do … It was strange," he said, although, he then admitted: "They were very nice."
What's more surprising? Van Damme confessed that he wasn't particularly familiar with Friends at the time despite the show dominating television from 1994 to 2004. For context, the season two episode that Van Damme appeared in garnered a whopping 52.9 million viewers, per The Hollywood Reporter - a figure somewhat unthinkable with today's modern viewing.
"So, when I go to the show, I see those two beautiful girls, and they say this is the hottest show right now in the world. So, I was very glad," the action star recalled.
Van Damme added how his agent was pivotal in sealing the deal, revealing: "And my agent said, ‘You have to do an episode with them. So you’re going to play this guy.’"
Even if Van Damme is somewhat self-deprecating about his cameo, he still fondly remembers the experience, saying: "They were very open because they did the show every day. So for them, I enter into a place where everything is working like a very well-trained mechanic engine [...] It was amazing."
For many Friends fans like myself, Van Damme's appearance is a cherished moment in the show's storied history. So whether Van Damme liked his performance or not, he'll always have a special place in fans' hearts (not just Monica and Rachel's).
