If you obsessively watch Friends reruns like a lot of people, then you’ve, no doubt, memorized all of girlfriends and boyfriends that Chandler, Joey, Monica, Ross, Phoebe and Rachel had during the course of the 10 season show. Now Jon Favreau, who played one of Monica’s boyfriends, Pete Becker, has admitted that he still thinks about his character from the show.
Pete Becker was a man of tremendous focus and conviction. He set his heart to being the Ultimate Fighting Champion and I have no doubt that he gave it his all. I'm only sorry that that chapter was never closed by the Friends writers because I'll always have to live with the uncertainty of what his fate held.
During a Reddit Ask Me Anything yesterday, actor, writer, director and producer Jon Favreau was asked how his character would have been affected by Monica finally breaking up with him. The Redditor specifically wanted to know how that breakup would've impacted Pete’s decision to become an Ultimate Fighting Champion, especially since Monica broke up with Pete for that very decision.
Jon Favreau was correct that Pete had “tremendous focus and conviction.” The character met Monica while she was waiting tables at the Moondance Diner and wearing a blonde wig, rollerskates and giant fake boobs. Pete was instantly attracted to her, and when he overheard Rachel talking about how Monica hadn’t had a date in a while, he decides to ask her out. Monica turns him down, but when she receives a $20,000 tip from him, and hears from Chandler that Pete is a multi-millionaire computer maverick, she decides to confront him about what she thinks is his effort to buy her affection. Monica does indeed visit Pete, but he simply asks her out again, and she accepts.
After they date for a while, Pete reveals to Monica that he wants to become the Ultimate Fighting Champion, and Monica tries to support him. After his first two fights, though, Pete actually has to be put into an upper body cast because he’s been hurt so badly. Monica attempts to make him see reason, but Pete is so determined to make his mark in the competition that he accepts her decision to break up, since she can’t see him hurt any further by the sport.
Jon Favreau has gone on to make a solid mark on the entertainment industry since his 1997 stint on Friends. He directed Iron Man and Iron Man 2, along with playing a small role in each film, in 2008 and 2010, and Cowboys & Aliens in 2011. He’s also executive produced a variety of films and TV shows since his Friends days, including The Avengers and this year’s The Jungle Book, which he also directed. It’s rather surprising, then, to find out that he has enough love for Pete Becker that he still wonders what might have happened to him, and wishes that that storyline had been wrapped up better.
Well, Pete’s relationship with Monica can at least live on in repeats of Friends, and we can all imagine what would have become of his Ultimate Fighting dreams any way we want.
