I’m a Friends star & was told ‘burn in hell’ for part – I’ll never forget making Matthew Perry blush with my milky boob --[Reported by Umva mag]

SHE made history starring in TV’s first lesbian wedding in the legendary sitcom Friends which celebrates its 30th anniversary today. But Jane Sibbett, 61, who played Ross’s ex-wife Carol Willick, revealed the boundary-pushing scene attracted considerable backlash too. GettyJane Sibbett and Jessica Hecht made TV history in Friends as Carol and Susan[/caption] GettyBut the actress faced vile backlash for portraying a lesbian on the show[/caption] GettyShe speaks to The Sun ahead of the 30th anniversary of the first episode of Friends[/caption] At the time, the TV moment was banned in some countries and certain channels in the US “blocked it out” too – but that’s not all. It “caused stress” in the actress’s personal life too. Jane’s religious father refused to watch Friends for years because of her character’s sexuality, instead holding bible study on the nights it aired. She was even verbally abused by school kids. She told The Sun: “I would say there was 95 per cent support but once I had flown to Canada to shoot a Disney movie and a child was yelling at me out of a school window. “He was shouting, ‘Go home, American f*g’ and I just went, ‘Wow, wrong on so many levels dude. Come down here and have a conversation with me’. “Then I had a woman from my old church call me up… and proceeded to me that I was going to burn in hell.” Ahead of the 30th Anniversary of Friends first airing on TV screens, Jane reveals the casts had “lightning in a bottle” and say “never in my wildest dreams” could she have predicted the show’s enduring popularity. She tells The Sun about Matthew Perry “blushing” in one scene, the X-rated improv that surprisingly bypassed censors and an interaction with Brad Pitt that leaves her “utterly embarrassed to this day”. Unknown to many, Jane initially auditioned for Rachel Green – a part famously portrayed by Jennifer Aniston. Her agent told her: “They love you, love you, love you and want you back for the screen test.” However, she was pregnant at the time and claims her reps hadn’t told casting directors, which led to them considering other options for the role. Jane told them she would “love to play the lesbian part, if they needed someone” and the day after she gave birth, she received a call asking her to take on the role and film the following day. It came after Anita Barone, the original Carol, quit following the pilot as she allegedly didn’t feel the part was big enough. Jane recalled: “I’m like, ‘I just delivered a baby. I’m kind of sore, I had a 24-hour labour, he was a big boy.’ But they said, ‘No, no, don’t worry they’ll make it super easy.’” She signed up after being “blown away by how incredibly funny David Schwimmer was” after watching the pilot episode. Jane adds: “I’m so grateful to have been given the part, no one could have played Rachel better than Jennifer and Carol was such a healthy role model. Matt LeBlanc/InstagramThe Friends cast reunited last year for a TV special before Matthew Perry’s death[/caption] GettyJane says David Schwimmer was the reason she signed up to play Carol[/caption] “It was groundbreaking for a lesbian character on TV but also for how Carol and Ross handled divorce and co-parenting without fighting. It was a gift.” Many were inspired by the touching scenes between David and Jane after her character came out – following her affair with future wife Susan being discovered. However, others weren’t as approving. My father wouldn’t watch the show…He would hold a bible group at the time it aired to ensure his friends wouldn’t see it either. Jane Sibbett “It caused stress in my own family,” Jane tells us. “We had a big situation with my father who wouldn’t watch the show. Thankfully he came around to it in the end. “It was heartbreaking that he wouldn’t watch it. He would hold a bible study group at the time it aired to ensure his friends wouldn’t see it either. “It took my godfather writing a letter to him saying how proud he was of me for the wedding scene that cracked it for my father. “He thought, ‘Wait, I’m not going to be judged for this and it can help people.’ It was great for that wound to be healed before my dad passed.” X-rated improv NBCJane mimed pulling something out of her mouth, hinting at a sex act, in the cheeky improv[/caption] Friends was filmed in front of a live studio audience and according to Jane, there were many improvised gags and moments actors performed just to “get a laugh” from the crowds. Among them were a few “edgy” jokes, including when Ross visits Carol late at night only for her to give a subtle hint that she was in the middle of a sex act with wife Susan. Jane explains that it was improvised after “there was some joke that wasn’t quite working

Sep 22, 2024 - 10:26

I’m a Friends star & was told ‘burn in hell’ for part – I’ll never forget making Matthew Perry blush with my milky boob --[Reported by Umva mag]

SHE made history starring in TV’s first lesbian wedding in the legendary sitcom Friends which celebrates its 30th anniversary today.

But Jane Sibbett, 61, who played Ross’s ex-wife Carol Willick, revealed the boundary-pushing scene attracted considerable backlash too.

two women standing next to each other holding hands

Jane Sibbett and Jessica Hecht made TV history in Friends as Carol and Susan[/caption]

a woman stands on a red carpet at the carney awards

But the actress faced vile backlash for portraying a lesbian on the show[/caption]

a group of people posing for a picture with one of them wearing a green dress

She speaks to The Sun ahead of the 30th anniversary of the first episode of Friends[/caption]

At the time, the TV moment was banned in some countries and certain channels in the US “blocked it out” too – but that’s not all.

It “caused stress” in the actress’s personal life too.

Jane’s religious father refused to watch Friends for years because of her character’s sexuality, instead holding bible study on the nights it aired.

She was even verbally abused by school kids.

She told The Sun: “I would say there was 95 per cent support but once I had flown to Canada to shoot a Disney movie and a child was yelling at me out of a school window.

“He was shouting, ‘Go home, American f*g’ and I just went, ‘Wow, wrong on so many levels dude. Come down here and have a conversation with me’.

“Then I had a woman from my old church call me up… and proceeded to me that I was going to burn in hell.”

Ahead of the 30th Anniversary of Friends first airing on TV screens, Jane reveals the casts had “lightning in a bottle” and say “never in my wildest dreams” could she have predicted the show’s enduring popularity.

She tells The Sun about Matthew Perry “blushing” in one scene, the X-rated improv that surprisingly bypassed censors and an interaction with Brad Pitt that leaves her “utterly embarrassed to this day”.

Unknown to many, Jane initially auditioned for Rachel Green – a part famously portrayed by Jennifer Aniston.

Her agent told her: “They love you, love you, love you and want you back for the screen test.”

However, she was pregnant at the time and claims her reps hadn’t told casting directors, which led to them considering other options for the role.

Jane told them she would “love to play the lesbian part, if they needed someone” and the day after she gave birth, she received a call asking her to take on the role and film the following day.

It came after Anita Barone, the original Carol, quit following the pilot as she allegedly didn’t feel the part was big enough.

Jane recalled: “I’m like, ‘I just delivered a baby. I’m kind of sore, I had a 24-hour labour, he was a big boy.’ But they said, ‘No, no, don’t worry they’ll make it super easy.’”

She signed up after being “blown away by how incredibly funny David Schwimmer was” after watching the pilot episode.

Jane adds: “I’m so grateful to have been given the part, no one could have played Rachel better than Jennifer and Carol was such a healthy role model.

a group of people are posing for a picture together

The Friends cast reunited last year for a TV special before Matthew Perry’s death[/caption]

a bride and groom are walking down the aisle at their wedding

Jane says David Schwimmer was the reason she signed up to play Carol[/caption]

“It was groundbreaking for a lesbian character on TV but also for how Carol and Ross handled divorce and co-parenting without fighting. It was a gift.”

Many were inspired by the touching scenes between David and Jane after her character came out – following her affair with future wife Susan being discovered.

However, others weren’t as approving.

My father wouldn’t watch the show…He would hold a bible group at the time it aired to ensure his friends wouldn’t see it either. Jane Sibbett

“It caused stress in my own family,” Jane tells us. “We had a big situation with my father who wouldn’t watch the show. Thankfully he came around to it in the end.

“It was heartbreaking that he wouldn’t watch it. He would hold a bible study group at the time it aired to ensure his friends wouldn’t see it either.

“It took my godfather writing a letter to him saying how proud he was of me for the wedding scene that cracked it for my father.

“He thought, ‘Wait, I’m not going to be judged for this and it can help people.’ It was great for that wound to be healed before my dad passed.”

X-rated improv

wil calhoun is the executive story editor of this tv show

Jane mimed pulling something out of her mouth, hinting at a sex act, in the cheeky improv[/caption]

Friends was filmed in front of a live studio audience and according to Jane, there were many improvised gags and moments actors performed just to “get a laugh” from the crowds.

Among them were a few “edgy” jokes, including when Ross visits Carol late at night only for her to give a subtle hint that she was in the middle of a sex act with wife Susan.

Jane explains that it was improvised after “there was some joke that wasn’t quite working” and so she decided to mime “plucking a hair” from her mouth after telling Ross she wasn’t sleeping.

It was a cheeky and risque blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that she was surprised passed TV censors, who she suspects “missed it entirely”.

Friends facts and figures

Dig into the facts behind the iconic 90s sitcom starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and the late Matthew Perry.

Friends debuted on September 22, 1994. It ran for a decade, airing ten seasons and a whopping 236 episodes.

The emotional finale, which aired on May 26, 2004, was watched live by 52.5 million viewers in America, making it one of the most-watched TV finales of all time.

Friends also won a ton of awards over the years including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, 6 Primetime Emmys, 2 SAG Awards, and 12 People’s Choice Awards.

It was set in New York but filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in L.A.

Friends almost had a number of different titles – sitcom creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman considered monikers like Friends Like Us, Insomnia Café, and Six of One before finally settling on Friends.

The show’s iconic theme song was also meant to be different – Friends’ original theme song was Shiny Happy People by R.E.M. which was used for the unaired pilot episode, Friends Like Us. It was eventually changed to I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts.

David and Marta originally planned for the show’s main couple to be Monica and Joey, but they weren’t romantically compatible unlike Monica and Chandler who had natural chemistry.

The cast of Friends made a pact not to date or hook up – there really was no Ross and Rachel off-screen. “We didn’t want to jeopardise any of the great relationships and friendships we had established. It was kind of an unspoken rule,” David revealed.

The cast always stuck together though, even negotiating their salaries increases as a group. When they started out their each earned $22,500 per episode but that steadily increased to $1,000,000 per episode by the finale season.

She recalled: “I didn’t even think about whether it’d be approved, I basically wasn’t sure that even they’d see it but I just thought, ‘Oh, I’m just gonna try it because you’re always throwing things out.’

“The audience was laughing but nobody really knew why. The producers were like, ‘That’s it, that’s it. We got it’. Only one producer came over and gave me a thumbs-up after.

“I’m surprised it got into the show. They just must have missed it, standards and practices. They missed it entirely and it ended up in the main show.”

Blushing co-star

a group of people sitting on a couch holding a baby

Jane says Matthew Perry had no idea that she wasn’t going to mime breastfeeding[/caption]

a group of people sitting on a couch with a baby

Instead, she ‘whipped out’ her ‘milky boob’ on set[/caption]

In one scene of the episode The One With The Breast Milk, Joey and Chandler are uncomfortable after seeing Carol breastfeed Ben right in front of them.

Matthew Perry’s character appears gobsmacked and walks away after quipping “Something funny about sneakers, I’ll be right back” and is followed by Matt LeBlanc.

And amusingly, it appears to have been a case of art imitating life according to Jane, who says her last-minute change to the scene left Matthew “blushing”.

She tells us: “I actually tried to nurse the babies – with their mother’s permission – and that’s why you get such a hilarious reaction from Matt Perry.

“He was like ‘Whoa, Sibbett’s breast is out.’ He thought I was going to pantomime breastfeeding but didn’t know I’d do it for real.

“I was really free in front of the audience, put my boob out and the babe on. The baby is like ‘How the heck?’ as he’d never breastfed before.

“The baby had no idea what was going on and reacted. That’s why Matt’s reaction was so funny too. You can almost see him blush if you look at that take closely enough.

“It’s so hilarious, I mean I’m sure he’d seen breasts before but he’d never seen me whip mine – my big milky breast out – that was funny.”

Brad Pitt gaffe

a man in a suit stands next to a woman in a dress

The actress was ’embarrassed’ when she lost the ability to speak when talking to Brad Pitt[/caption]

Jane met a number of famous stars during her time on the show including George Clooney, who was filming medical drama ER in a nearby set, and Jennifer’s then-boyfriend Brad Pitt.

Amusingly, she admits to have lost her cool in front of him due to having a “horrible time with ‘new baby hormones'” and found herself unable to talk normally in front of him twice.

Jane firmly states there was nothing untoward about the encounters but she was overwhelmed with “chemical ridiculousness”.

She says: “I didn’t start crying but I lost the power of speech. I will never be in his vicinity again, I’ll never put myself through that embarrassment ever again.

“I’m utterly embarrassed to this day… in one instance I tried to give him my baby to hold because I couldn’t talk, it was ridiculous.”

Refusing to elaborate further, Jane hints that she had a crush on Brad and added: “It was so embarrassing especially because I love Jen… I have hard and fast rules, you don’t cross those lines and I would never do that.”

‘Friends saved my life’

a man and a woman are posing for a picture and the woman is wearing a hat with a smiley face on it

Jane praises David Schwimmer for his rule regarding child actors[/caption]

a man and two women holding a baby in a hospital room

She says there was ‘backlash’ to the boundary-pushing show[/caption]

a group of people posing for a picture on a couch

Jane describes the cast’s chemistry as like ‘lightning in a bottle’[/caption]

Jane appeared in episodes across seven series of Friends and throughout, many actors were selected to play her and Ross’s son Ben.

She claims David Schwimmer had one firm rule when it came to the child actors, which she praised him for.

Jane explains: “He was insistent we would never ever bribe our babies or child actors because so many kids in Hollywood get messed up by that.

“So many have crashed and burned pretty mightily and it’s not just because of the bribery but the weird playing of reality.

[Matthew Perry] unwittingly helped me when I was so sad just by doing his job. I knew he would be huge from when I first met him, he was so funny, self-effacing, and a brilliant, bright, bright light. Jane

“David knew the damage that could be caused by trying to barter like that and was so heartful and mindful. A consummate professional and hilarious at all times.”

It wasn’t all laughter. Jane bravely opened up about her struggles after suffering a miscarriage and tells us: “Friends saved my life.”

She recalls: “I was plunged into just dark, dark grief. I couldn’t get out of bed I was so depressed. I was called by Marta Kauffman (co-creator of Friends).

“I told her I just lost a baby and I’m so sad. She said, ‘I heard, I’m so sorry but I think it would be a good idea for you to come to work. Just to say a couple of lines.’

“I did and sat in the dark watching Matthew and Matty doing the arch loungers scene, going back, back and back. I started to laugh again.

“I can’t even remember what they said but I know that my friends and the show had saved me. It pulled me out of this deep, deep depression.

“Everyone went through their dark times on the show, some of us knew and some of us didn’t and ultimately the show helped so many of us get through it.

“That’s why losing Matty [Perry] was so hard and so tragic. We know comedy can saves lives but it’s hard when you have the mask on all of the time and it’s your default.

“He unwittingly helped me when I was so sad just by doing his job. I knew he would be huge from when I first met him, he was so funny, self-effacing, and a brilliant, bright, bright light.”

‘Lightning in a bottle’

Friends remains popular now despite the final episode airing in 2004 – with Jane telling us she’s been recognised as far away as Peru and has had a few “uncomfortable” encounters with fans too.

“Someone followed me into the bathroom,” she says. “They yelled over the stall, ‘Sorry to bother you but are you from Friends’. It was crazy, I had to ask her to wait outside the loo.”

Jane is full of praise for the “talented, lovely, huge-hearted” cast and says she knew the show would be a success in her second week of filming.

“My favourite behind the scenes memory was something no one else ever saw,” she recalls.

“There was this rare rain and against the big soundstage, there was this puddle and I saw Courteney Cox, Lisa [Kudrow] and Jen splashing in the puddle like they were children.

“They were having so much fun and were so free. I knew if they could capture that lightning in the bottle it would be the best ever for the show.

“And they did, they caught the joy. It was lightning in a bottle every single week. They wielded their comedy and joy of play.”

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