The ‘Friends’ Mistake That Cost Jean-Claude Van Damme His Self-Respect: “I look so much like a ham”

Jean-Claude Van Damme was embarrassed about his cameo performance in FRIENDS.

Written by: Priya
Reviewed by: Angad
The ‘Friends’ Mistake That Cost Jean-Claude Van Damme His Self-Respect: “I look so much like a ham”

SUMMARY

  • Jean-Claude Van Damme guest-starred in the season 2 episode of FRIENDS.
  • He revealed about feeling ashamed during his cameo appearance.
  • He didn't knew much about the show, adding that his agent encouraged him to make a cameo on the show.
Show More▼
Featured Video

Jean-Claude Van Damme is best known for working in the action genre and doing extensive voice work in the cinematic world. Having gained prominence in the late 1980s, his popularity faced a downfall in the late 1990s only to resurge once again in the 2008 movie, JCVD. Since then, he has been engaged in a lot of projects however he is not a fan of his one cameo appearance in a popular sitcom series, FRIENDS. 

Advertisement
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme

Also Read:  “If I saw him today, I’d have no problem”: Jean-Claude Van Damme No Longer Interested in Kicking Steven Seagal’s Teeth in

The global action star in an interview addressed his cameo appearance on the show revealing why he is ashamed of it. 

Advertisement

Jean-Claude Van Damme Talked About His FRIENDS Cameo Appearance

Jean-Claude Van Damme and Courteney Cox in FRIENDS
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Courteney Cox in FRIENDS

Also Read: “Arnold doesn’t move me”: Jean-Claude Van Damme Insulted Terminator Star After Labeling Him a Poor Actor, Prefers Sylvester Stallone Instead

Jean-Claude Van Damme was one of the first celebrity guest appearances on the FRIENDS show. He appeared in the season 2 episode, The One After the Super Bowl: Part 2 as a fictionalized version of himself starring opposite Jennifer Aniston’s character, Rachel, and Courteney Cox‘s Monica. As per the plot, both the characters develop a crush on him while he is filming a movie in New York City. This led to a rift between the female protagonists turning the situation into a humorous ordeal. In an interview with the New York Post, Van Damme recalled his time on the set of the sitcom show stating that he is ashamed of himself. He shared, 

“My acting is so bad. I look so like a ham. Like, ‘Hey, girls.’ […] It’s like, I’m ashamed of myself.”

Despite having mixed feelings about his performance, he also talked about the unique moments he gained from the cameo. 

Advertisement

Jean-Claude Van Damme Praised FRIENDS Actors for Their Work

Jennifer Aniston with Courteney Cox in FRIENDS
Jennifer Aniston with Courteney Cox in FRIENDS

Also Read: “I don’t want to hear that”: Jean-Claude Van Damme Turned Down Sylvester Stallone’s Biggest Action Franchise on a Matter of Principle

The action-star further talked about his co-stars, praising them for their professionalism. He mentioned in the same interview, 

“So then I was on the set, and those girls, they go and they kiss me and they kiss me on the lips. I didn’t know what to do, how to do … It was strange. They were very nice.”

He added that he didn’t know much about the show at the time as his agent was the one who encouraged him to guest-star on it.

Advertisement

“I didn’t know much about the show. So when I go to the show, I see those two beautiful girls and they say this is the hottest show right now in the world. So I was very glad.” He added, “And my agent said, ‘You have to do an episode with them. So you’re going to play this guy.’”

While the former had enjoyed his time, the cast didn’t share the same feelings. On the account of the episode’s 25th anniversary, the episode’s director, Michael Lembeck revealed that the actresses were uncomfortable working with the Kickboxer star. He claimed that the actor was “unprepared and arrogant!” as per THR. However, his kissing scenes with the stars were least comfortable, leading the duo to ask the director to stop his acts. 

FRIENDS is available to watch on HBO Max. 

Courteney CoxJean Claude Van DammeJennifer Aniston

Avatar

Written by Priya Sharma

Articles Published: 1088

Priya Sharma, Senior Content Writer and Social Media Manager at FandomWire and Animated Times. Having graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication, she possesses extensive expertise in crafting engaging and informative content. She has written over 2000 articles across Animated Times and FandomWire on pop culture, showing her dedication to delivering diverse and trending content to readers across the world. Apart from pop culture, she is quite enthusiastic about the Hallyu culture and is exploring the world of anime, expanding the horizons of her knowledge.