In times of stress and trouble, we turn to TV programmes and films that feel like a warm hug. We all have our own personal favourites, but there are some universal staples. Like Friends. Or Dirty Dancing. But did you know that the two have a connection? It’s been in front of our eyes for actual decades, but we honestly had no idea.
You’ll recall that Dirty Dancing sees Baby – oh Baby – arrive at a resort in the Catskills and fall in love with a dancer, Johnny. Johnny was played by the late Patrick Swayze. Baby was played by Jennifer Grey. She will always be best known for this beloved film, but she had also popped up in things like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Red Dawn. She has worked solidly ever since, but you may not have realised that she popped up in Friends.
That’s right. Baby, in Friends. Jennifer was in Season 1, Episode 20: The One With The Evil Orthodontist. She played Mindy, Rachel’s one-time best friend who was now engaged to Rachel’s ex-fiance Barry. It’s the episode where Rachel ends up sleeping with Barry in his dentist chair, which we hope he gave a good clean afterwards.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a shock to realise that two of our favourite things are connected. But you’d be forgiven for not noticing before. Jennifer was not available to play Mindy in the character’s next appearance in Season 2, where Rachel attends the wedding in the famous fluffy pink bridesmaid dress. She was instead recast as Jana Marie Hupp.
The Best Friends Celebrity Cameos
1 of 12Reese Witherspoon
Reese was a Young Hollywood star when she was hired for a two episode role in Friends, having appeared in Legally Blonde and Cruel Intentions. She played Jill, Rachel's spoiled little sister whose eyes stray too Ross, leading to a huge argument with Rachel. Off-screen, Reese got on well with Jennifer Aniston. So much so that they starred in last year's The Morning Show.
2 of 12Sarah, Duchess Of York
The show's trip to London saw cameos from Hugh Laurie, Jennifer Saunders, June Whitfield and Richard Branson. But the biggest coup was the appearance of Fergie herself. It was a major sign that the show had become a bonafide global sensation.
3 of 12Isabella Rossellini
A Hollywood veteran, the daughter of Ingrid Bergman was one of few stars to play themselves. You may remember that Ross bumped into her at Central Park, shortly after removing her from his official list of celebrities he was allowed to sleep with. Attempting to convince her that this was a mere draft, she was confused. 'It's laminated...' Sorry Ross, better luck next time.
4 of 12Winona Ryder
One of the coolest actresses of the Nineties and beyond, Winona was used to playing brooding teens and spirited, strong women before she popped up in Season Seven's The One With Rachel's Big Kiss. She played Melissa, a former sorority sister of Rachel who, it emerged, harboured a lifetime of feelings for her that started with a jug of margaritas, two pairs of coconut bikinis and a cheeky snog.
5 of 12Susan Sarandon
We learned a lot about soap acting from the film icon's depiction of Jessica Lockhart. A member of the cast of Days Of Our Lives, she discovers that her character is to be killed off, with her brain given to Joey's Dr Drake Ramoray. A confrontation becomes a romance, before she leaves Joey behind to pursue her rightful place in Mexican cinema. Fun fact: Susan's real life daughter Eva Amurri was also in this episode, as Jessica's on-screen daughter. Meta!
6 of 12Christina Applegate
Speaking of sisters, Christina played Amy, Rachel's obliviously rude sister in two memorable episodes. Christina is known in the UK thanks to a long career in comedy shows like Married With Children and Samantha Who? But her profile in the US is enormous. The screams when she shows up in Friends way outweigh those offered for many other stars.
7 of 12Danny DeVito
The star of Twins, Taxi, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Matilda and LA Confidential (now that's career versatility) appeared as a stripper at Phoebe's bridal shower in a side-splitting cameo. Upset when Phoebe seemed repulsed by his moves, he was sated when she gave his career an enthusiastic send-off.
8 of 12Julia Roberts
The Oscar-winning star of Erin Brokovich and Pretty Woman played Susie Ross in Season 2's The One After The Superbowl: Part Two. But you may know her better as Susie Underpants. She seduces Chandler as part of a cunning ruse for vengeance, leaving him in a toilet cubicle in nothing but her underwear. As she fled with her victim's clothes, she offered a parting shot: 'Why don't you call me in twenty years and tell me if you're still upset about this?' Airing in 1996, we wonder if Chandler's still sore.
9 of 12George Clooney
George was starring in ER when he - along with co-star Noah Wyle - filmed a cameo in 1995. They played doctors who flirt with Monica and Rachel, unaware that the roommates have switched identities due to a minor medical insurance issue. America, eh?
10 of 12Brad Pitt
Brad played Ross's old friend Will in Season 8's Thanksgiving Episode. It was a stand-out turn: Brad's comic timing was on point, and the storyline - which saw Rachel discover that Ross had been a member of the I Hate Rachel Club in high school - was a strong comic concept. It was all made funnier, of course, by the fact that Brad and Jennifer were married at the time. We don't think there's ever been a louder scream from the audience when the door of Monica's apartment opened to its surprise guest.
11 of 12Bruce Willis
Who's the man? Paul, dad of Ross's student girlfriend Elizabeth, was the man. Embarking on a relationship with Rachel, Paul enjoyed mirror-based pep talks. But Rachel ended it when he got too in touch with his emotions for her liking.
12 of 12Denise Richards
Denise Richards really leaned in to her Bond Girl sex symbol status as Cassie, Ross and Monica's cousin who came to stay and quickly proved a distraction to Chandler, Ross and even Phoebe.
Indeed, she looked pretty unrecognisable. Jennifer had had a nose job by the time she made the cameo, and looked remarkably different. She has bemoaned this fact since, in a 2012 interview.
‘I went in the operating theatre a celebrity and come out anonymous,’ she said. ‘It was like being in a witness protection program or being invisible. It was the nose job from hell. I’ll always be this once-famous actress nobody recognises because of a nose job.’
It’s a shame that she has such regrets, and that she feels the procedure affected her career negatively. But she can surely take great comfort in the fact that, to us, she will always be someone special. Even now, no one puts Baby in the corner.
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