As John McClane from the ‘Die Hard‘ franchise, Bruce Willis has enshrined himself as the most remembered and quotable pop culture figure. Since his television days on ‘Moonlighting,‘ Willis established and re-established himself as a classic movie star.
Fans were shocked to see him return to television with his guest spot on ‘Friends.’ Back then, a movie star considered television a cardinal sin. But Willis, who lost a bet to Matthew Perry, was true to his word and came on the show in a memorable comedic role.
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Which Character Did Bruce Willis Play On ‘Friends’?
Bruce Willis appears in the sixth season of ‘Friends‘ in the episode ‘The One Where Ross Meets Elizabeth’s Dad.’ Ross, who’s been dating Elizabeth for a while, meets her dad Paul Stevens (played by Bruce Willis), at Central Perk. He’s quick to voice his disapproval of the couple. Despite Ross’ efforts to connect and his friends trying to talk him up, nothing changes unless Rachel comes in.
Later, Ross walks in on Rachel and Paul, who have hit it off. Rachel talks them into having a dinner where she can help Ross get in Paul’s good books. Unfortunately, the dinner date turns out to be a disaster and has the opposite of the desired effect. In her attempt to highlight Ross’ good qualities, she ends up telling Paul about his three failed marriages.
Bruce Willis also appeared in the successive episode ‘The One Where Paul’s the Man.’ Despite Paul’s repeated warnings about not dating his daughter and having him fired, Ross continues to date Elizabeth. Meanwhile, he continues to spend time with Rachel. Hilarity ensues when both couples find themselves sharing Paul’s beach house.
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Why Bruce Willis Said Yes To ‘Friends’ Cameo
Julia Roberts is not the only Hollywood high roller Matthew Perry convinced to appear in ‘Friends.’ In his memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing,‘ Matthew Perry talks about how he convinced Bruce Willis for a guest appearance. The two met while working on the movie ‘The Whole Nine Yards‘ and struck a close friendship.
Perry talks about Bruce not having faith in the movie’s ability to be a box-office success. But Perry thought otherwise and bet Willis to “do a guest spot on ‘Friends’ if he lost. ‘The Whole Nine Yards‘ made a global box-office collection of $106 million. Bruce Willis appeared on ‘Friends,’ a man of his word. He also won an Emmy for his guest role.
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