‘Friends’: Why Bruce Willis Earned Nothing For His Appearance
NBC’s famous sitcom, Friends was a huge part of the cultural atmosphere in the 90s. So, it’s no surprise that the show landed some big guest stars, including Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, and Brad Pitt.
But one of the most memorable guests on the show was the tough-as-nails superstar of Pulp Fiction and Die Hard: Bruce Willis. However, despite earning tons of praise for his appearance on Friends, Willis didn’t actually earn any money for the role. In fact, he almost wasn’t on the show at all.
Bruce Willis appeared on ‘Friends’
Friends revolved around a group of six young adults living in New York City. As one of the biggest sitcoms of the time, the show catapulted its stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, into popularity. Especially Aniston, who became a fashion icon of the 90s because of her stylish haircut, known as the “Rachel,” after her famous character on the show.
During Friend‘s sixth season, Ross, played by Schwimmer, dates one of his former students, a woman named Elizabeth. This is where Willis comes in. He took on the role of Elizabeth’s father, Paul Stevens.
Unsurprisingly, Willis’ character isn’t thrilled that his daughter, who he raised by himself after his wife died at a young age, is dating her much older professor. However, after meeting the group of friends, Willis’ character falls for Rachel. This puts him in an awkward position because he has to make nice with Ross if he wants to date Rachel.
There is one especially comedic scene from Willis that fans of Friends will always remember fondly, where he pumps himself up in the mirror before a date with Rachel, saying: “You’re a neat guy. You’re a love machine.”
Bruce Willis lost a bet
Willis’ guest appearance lasted for only three episodes of Friends. However, because of the combination of his stardom and Friends popularity, it made a big impression on the culture at the time.
Willis even won an Emmy for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy because of his performance. But Willis was already extremely popular in his own right before Friends. As such, he didn’t really need to appear in the show to boost his career.
In fact, the real reason he agreed to the guest appearance on the hit sitcom was due to the fact that he lost a bet with Perry.
In 1999, Perry and Willis were working together on the film The Whole Nine Yards. Perry was optimistic about the role, believing the film would be a great success, but Willis didn’t feel the same. So, the guys made a bet about the film’s prospects: If the movie opened at number one in the box office, then Willis would appear on Friends for free.
Viewers loved both ‘The Whole Nine Yards’ and ‘Friends’
The Whole Nine Yards ended up being a big hit. It was released in February 2000 and spent the first three weeks at number one. As a result, Willis appeared in Friends and donated his entire salary from the role to charity.
The bet was confirmed during a video with Willis for Wired. In the video, he answers the web’s most searched questions about him. One of which is whether he appeared in Friends. Willis answers: “I was on Friends because I lost a bet to Matthew Perry.”
If fans hadn’t flocked to theaters to see The Whole Nine Yards, then we all would have missed out on one of the funniest guest roles on Friends. Luckily, movies goers found it hilarious to watch Perry, as a mild-mannered dentist, become entangled with the mob.
The film boosted both Willis and Perry even further in their careers. But viewers are perhaps the luckiest of all. Both The Whole Nine Yards and Willis’ appearance on Friends will go down as two of the funniest performances in history.
