He played the coffee shop owner Gunther on 90’s sitcom Friends, whose 10-year love for character Rachel Green was unrequited.
And speaking to Daily Mail Australia this month, actor James Michael Tyler described working with Jennifer Aniston as an absolute joy.
The 57-year-old went on to admit that there’s no reason to film a reboot, 25 years on since the show’s debut.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘I don’t see a reason to revisit it’: Friends’ Gunther actor James Michael Tyler (left), 57, said Jennifer Aniston (right), 50, was ‘a joy to work with’ in an interview with Daily Mail Australia this month… but admitted there’s no point in filming a reboot
‘She’s such a consummate professional and a lovely, lovely human being,’ James said of Jennifer, 50.
‘She’s very tender, open and honest, down-to-earth and grounded. She embodied the character of Rachel so perfectly.’
‘It was just a joy to work with her, as a fellow actor,’ he continued. ‘She was very professional on the set, always on time, always knew her lines and was also very generous as an actor.’
James added that Jennifer ‘gave the energy back’ on set, and ‘helped everyone she interacted with be a better actor.’
Praise: James, who played coffee owner Gunther (far left), said of Jennifer (pictured centre as character Rachel Green): ‘She was very professional on the set, always on time, always knew her lines and was also very generous as an actor’
Despite the gushing comments, the Mississippi-born star admitted there’s no reason to film a reunion episode.
‘I know that the creators of the show have all said in the past, that they’d wrapped up the show in the way that they wanted,’ James began.
‘And I have to agree with them on that. They tied up a really good series, which at this point has a good beginning, middle and end, and myself… I don’t see a reason to revisit it, that’s just my opinion.’
No reason: Despite the gushing comments, the Mississippi-born star admitted there’s no reason to film a reunion episode: ‘They (the writers) tied up a really good series, which at this point has a good beginning, middle and end.’ Pictured in 2014
‘That being said, if anything ever came up in the future, I would definitely bleach my hair again and reprise Gunther, as I really did love that character.’
Gunther’s character was certainly not planned, with James revealing how he was initially cast as just an extra, simply known on the call sheet as ‘coffee guy’.
‘I never auditioned, I came on the first episode of the first season pilot as an extra. I was a background performer,’ James told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I knew how to make a good latte’: James revealed he had barista experience, having got a job working as one while being cast as a background performer on the show. Pictured this month
‘I did not have the name Gunther until the 33rd episode which was midway through the second season. The writers gave me one word to say, ‘Yeah’, and it just kind of built up from there. It was never intended to be a character.’
James went on to joke that he actually had barista experience, having got a job working as one while being cast as a background performer on the show.
‘I was a barista (at the time). I basically took the job of Friends because it would offer, at the time I believe, $45 US extra a week, and I got a free meal from craft service, which was also very helpful.
‘I knew how to make a good latte, mocha, or whatever you like.’
The entire 10 seasons of Friends are streaming now on Stan. Friends celebrated its official 25-year anniversary on September 22.
Friends was NBC’s popular sitcom of the 90’s: Pictured in 1999 from left to right: Cast members David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry
