During the sitcom’s 10-year run, its guest stars included Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Sean Penn, and Brooke Shields.

Jennifer Aniston reflects on ex Brad Pitt and ‘other movie stars’ appearing on Friends: ‘They were always nervous’

During the sitcom's 10-year run, its guest stars included Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Sean Penn, and Brooke Shields.

By Kathleen Perricone

June 3, 2026 5:37 p.m. ET

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Brad Pitt appeared on 'Friends' with wife Jennifer Aniston in 2001. Credit:

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett

- Jennifer Aniston says many of the famous guest stars on *Friends*, like her ex-husband Brad Pitt, were "nervous" to appear on the sitcom.

- Aniston made the comment during a reunion with costar Lisa Kudrow for an episode of *Actors on Actors*.

- Other notable cameos on the show include Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Sean Penn, Bruce Willis, and Sean Penn.

The *Friends* cast made many new acquaintances during the sitcom's 10-year run — some of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood.

Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Brooke Shields, and Adam Goldberg are just a handful of the notable guest stars who popped up on the NBC series to play such memorable characters as Rachel's high school hater, her spoiled little sister, Joey's supermodel stalker, and Chandler's creepy roommate, respectively.

Jennifer Aniston and Bruce Willis on 'Friends'.

Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

And although many were arguably more famous than the *Friends* cast at the time, the small-screen cameo created some big nerves.

"The movie stars that came on *Friends*: Brad, Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Isabella Rossellini — we had so many — Sean Penn. They were always nervous," Jennifer Aniston revealed during a new *Actors on Actors* conversation with Lisa Kudrow. "Remember? I always found it fascinating how nervous they were."

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Kudrow agreed, and offered a possibility for why that was the case.

"Well, because what's the tone?" mused *The Comeback* actress. "It's not theater; it's for TV. It's not a movie. What the hell is this? And it's a good question. And I remember someone asked one time. I didn't know how to explain it, so I said, 'Oh, just talk louder. Same intention, just [louder].'"

Aniston, who segued into film roles while on TV, laughed at the thought of herself being "just louder… screaming" her lines in "the first couple movies I did during *Friends*," like rom-coms *She's the One* and *Picture Perfect*.

The costars also reminisced on their favorite moments over the 10-season run, particularly the "fun" traditional Thanksgiving episodes when an occasional famous face celebrated the holiday with Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, Ross, and Joey.

Pitt joined the *Friends *for turkey and yams (his weakness) in November 2001, a year after he married Aniston, to play his wife's onscreen nemesis, an unpopular former classmate who had founded the "I Hate Rachel Club" back in high school (with Ross, no less). The cameo was ratings gold, drawing more than 24 million viewers in the U.S., nearly double than the previous Thanksgiving special.

Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts on 'Friends' in season 2.

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett

In a similar role, Julia Roberts scored the show's highest ratings ever, 52.9 million viewers, in 1996 with a two-episode arc as an old friend of Chandler's (Matthew Perry) who shows up looking better than ever — and seeking revenge for a childish prank.

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Willis and Penn played the love interests of Aniston and Kudrow, respectively; however, the Oscar winner technically was the fiancé of Phoebe's identical twin sister, Ursula, in season 8.

Sean Penn and Lisa Kudrow on 'Friends'.

Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett

As for Rossellini, the Italian-American beauty wasn't playing a character when she bumped into Ross at Central Perk not long after he revealed she was his "celebrity hall pass" in season 3.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Comedy”