Friends guest star reflects on “insane” lack of diversity on hit sitcom

As a movie buff with decades of watching and analyzing films and television shows under my belt, I can’t help but reflect on the evolution of representation in entertainment. Friends, a beloved sitcom that has left an indelible mark on pop culture, is no exception to this reflection. In hindsight, it’s hard not to notice the lack of diversity, a fact acknowledged by actor Adam Goldberg in a recent interview.

In retrospect, actor Adam Goldberg, a visitor on the show, finds it hard to believe that the series didn’t have more diversity.

In the second season of the iconic American sitcom, the actor took on the role of Eddie, a somewhat unbalanced character whom Chandler (played by Matthew Perry) invited to share living quarters with him following a brief departure by Joey (Matt LeBlanc).

At the start, everything appears normal, but as time passes, Chandler grows troubled by Eddie’s behavior becoming more unpredictable. This includes his persistent reluctance to leave, even after repeated requests for him to do so.

Despite “Friends” still being a widely-watched series, it has faced criticism for certain humor and insufficient representation, issues that Goldenberg addressed in an interview with The Independent as part of the show’s 30th anniversary celebration.

Reflecting on diversity in the past, he said it seemed unbelievable. He’s heard Black people talk about this, and it’s as if they never imagined seeing themselves represented, so when they didn’t, it was hardly a shock. Instead, they connected with characters regardless of their race.

Goldberg expressed the viewpoint that the scarcity of diversity on Friends wasn’t just a shortcoming unique to the sitcom, but rather a widespread issue within the American TV industry during that period.

He pointed out that it was typical for there to be so little diversity… Essentially, the whole society operated that way, and television simply mirrored this societal norm.

The continuous work involves making corrections, especially in the last few years, focusing on enhancing diversity within entertainment, not only among those behind the scenes but also in front of the camera. Additionally, efforts have been made to match screen roles more accurately.

In the past, a practice known as ‘whitewashing’ occurred frequently in movie and TV productions. Also, it wasn’t uncommon for actors who belonged to one ethnicity to be assigned roles that originally belonged to another group, as Goldberg noted.

He stated, “For a significant part of my professional life, I’ve been pointing out the discrepancy in how Italians portray Jews in films. While we often see De Niro as a Jew on screen, it’s seldom that well-known Jewish actors take up Italian roles. This was the perspective from which I approached the issue.

Goldberg’s paternal lineage is Jewish, whereas his mother hails from a mix of European and Mexican backgrounds. This unique heritage led to some initial reservations in the industry about his suitability for certain roles due to perceptions that he wasn’t “typically American” enough.

“If you were to say that to somebody now, you’d probably be fired,” he said.

Later, Goldberg reminisced about working alongside Matthew Perry, his frequent scene partner on Friends, after Perry’s unexpected passing the previous year.

He mentioned that when collaborating with someone as skilled in comedy as Matt, the quality of your work tends to significantly improve.

I often enjoyed bantering back and forth quickly, and we had plenty of laughs. I’m thrilled to contribute to the enduring impact of this show.

2024-09-09 18:33

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