Friends star James Michael Tyler, who famously played Coffee House host Gunther in the sit-com, says he hasn’t heard from his on-screen crush Jennifer Anniston in more than 15 years.
The pair worked side-by-side in the iconic series for more than a decade, while Gunther lusted after his crush Rachel on a daily basis.
However, the work colleagues lost touch after filming for the sit-com came to an end in 2004, with Tyler admitting he hasn’t heard from the actor since.
He told the Daily Star on Sunday:
I haven’t seen Jennifer since the wrap party, honestly. It’s been 15 years since it ended.
That was a time of our lives when we were lucky enough to be able to work together for 10 years and have that sort of chemistry.
She lives in another city. I’m not going to go and hang outside her house and wait for her to come outside and say hello. That would be kind of weird.
It would be kind of weird, but it would very… Gunther.
He went on to say:
It’s nothing personal. Actors move on. It’s been a long time. I’m married and other people are married. Things change.
Tyler was originally cast as an extra but managed to land the recurring role of Gunther after bosses realised he was the only one who actually knew how to work a coffee machine.
Fortunately for Tyler, Gunther went on to become probably the most popular secondary character of the entire series, predominantly for his constant pining over Rachel, who was blissfully unaware of his feelings.
The Central Perk manager was known for his trademark white blonde hair, which actually turned out to be an accident that happened the night before he was cast, thanks to one of his friend’s home bleach attempts.
But, like an incredible twist of fate, producers loved it and so the actor was forced to bleach his hair every week for the entire decade.
Last week marked an entire 25 years since Friends first aired on NBC, prompting fans to beg for a cast reunion.
According to Tyler though, there’s really ‘no need for a reboot’ because the show’s storylines were all wrapped up so well by the time the show came to a close.
Meanwhile, Tyler recently revealed producers had scrapped plans for Rachel to move in with Gunther, explaining it would’ve appeared ‘too contrived.’
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.