Known for her work on “The Office”, Melora Hardin had a small but unforgettable role on “Friends” and, in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, spoke about the experience and the fear of working with Marcel, the show’s monkey.
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“Everyone hated the monkey on Friends,” Hardin said. “Everyone hated working with the monkey.”
Marcel was the exotic pet of David Schwimmer’s character in the show’s first season, and Hardin played Celia, Ross’s romantic interest.
In the memorable scene, Marcel pulls Celia’s hair during the couple’s date. “When I joined the cast of Friends and had to deal with the monkey, who was hanging onto my hair, all I could think was, ‘Tell me what to do,’” Hardin revealed.
“I could see that the monkey was within the trainer’s line of sight. When we rehearsed, I understood that I couldn’t make myself look big, because the monkey would react.”
The actress explained that she had to act like someone who was scared, but at the same time couldn’t have an overly strong reaction so as not to frighten the little animal.
“I had to make sure I was doing it in a way that the monkey wouldn’t think I was really doing that, that I wasn’t actually freaking out. But the audience had to feel that I was freaking out. So I had to choose movements that wouldn’t scare the monkey, but would seem real to the audience.”
Despite the fear, Hardin’s effort paid off, and her scene with Marcel in the episode “The One With the Stoned Guy” is still fondly remembered by fans of “Friends” to this day.
Images: reproduction NBCUniversal. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
