Friends may have centered around the six ever-present patrons of Central Perk, but the NBC sitcom was well-known for featuring side characters we still love today as well as an A+ list of guest stars. From Bruce Willis — whose family shared some sob-worthy photos from their Thanksgiving — to Julia Roberts, it was a treat to see who might pop up next on Friends. It turns out, though, that one of the series’ best guests didn’t think she was famous enough to pull off her cameo, and I’m shocked that she’d ever think such a thing.
Isabella Rossellini, who starred in the mystery thriller Conclave on the 2024 movie calendar, was brilliant in several movies in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, including Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Death Becomes Her. While these films definitely would have shared a fanbase with Friends, she still didn’t think she was well-known enough to appear on one of the best sitcoms of all time. Rossellini told EW:
I was surprised because at the time — maybe still today, but maybe to less extent at the time — there weren't many foreign actors that were recognized in America. And so I was very surprised that Friends invited me, not only as a guest but as a star. They recognize me and they know my name. So I was very... I said, 'Really? Am I that known that I can play myself as a known person?' So that was really great and it was a delight to work with them.
I would have to respectfully disagree with the actress for not thinking she had enough recognition to pull off the cameo as herself. David Lynch was nominated for an Oscar for his 1986 neo-noir thriller Blue Velvet, which Isabella Rossellini starred in alongside Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern, and Lynch also directed her and Dern in Wild at Heart in 1990. Death Becomes Her stands up to a rewatch to this day — not surprising given it won an Academy Award for visual effects and has been adapted into a Broadway play.
But even if you weren’t familiar with Isabella Rossellini before she strolled into Central Perk in the Season 3 episode “The One With Frank Jr.,” how could you not be a fan after watching her completely dismantle Ross (David Schwimmer)?
In the episode, Ross has come up with a list of five celebrities who he’d be allowed to sleep with even within the confines of his relationship with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). Isabella Rossellini was a finalist, but Ross ultimately replaced her due to her being “too international,” and therefore less likely to run into him in his home country.
So who should happen to saunter into the coffee shop? None other than Isabella Rossellini, of course, so after getting the go-ahead from Rachel to add an “alternate” to his list, he approaches the actress and explains the situation. However, when Rossellini learns that she isn’t actually on the list, she hilariously tells Ross:
You know, it's ironic, because I have a list of five goofy coffee house guys, and yesterday, I just bumped you for that guy over there.
Honestly, her delivery of, “It’s laminated!” alone was award-worthy in my opinion.
Isabella Rossellini may not have thought she was famous enough for the role, but at least she didn’t experience what John Stamos did when he guest-starred. The Full House alum recalled the embarrassing moment when he made his entrance on Friends. He was told to pause for applause, but the applause never came. Matthew Perry stepped in to save him, but what a bruise to the ego.
If you want to check out Isabella Rossellini’s cameo, or any of the other most ridiculous Friends episodes, all 10 seasons can be streamed with a Max subscription.
