Friends actor Larry Hankin says producers didn’t want him at the reunion and more in bombshell interview

Given how popular the NBC sitcom Friends has remained over the years, it didn’t come as much of a surprise that fans had been wanting the cast members to get together again for a reunion or reboot of sorts. Though the actors did not want to return to their characters for anything scripted, they did agree to do a televised reunion special which would see them coming together to reminisce on their favorite memories from the show. And finally, in May 2021, Friends: The Reunion premiered on HBO Max.

Comedian James Corden hosted the special which saw Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc reuniting to talk everything Friends. It received critical acclaim, though fans were a little bummed and confused by the cast list. Besides the six main actors who we love, many were disappointed to see Paul Rudd did not appear. They were also confused that celebrities like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga were included.

Larry Hankin, who played the one and only Mr. Heckles on Friends, did make a quick appearance during the reunion that fans loved to see. However, the cameo almost did happen and it’s because Hankin was not originally invited! In a new bombshell interview, the 84-year-old actor explained why producers did not want him on the reunion and recalled the unfair treatment he received once he was on set.

Larry Hankin (Mr. Heckles) claims unfair treatment on Friends: The Reunion set

In a virtual interview with the Friends fan page @TheFriendsFeeds, Hankin was asked about his appearance on Friends: The Reunion, to which he claimed the producers didn’t want him on the show and he suspected that was because they wanted popular celebrities there instead. He stated the people who worked on the reunion special who weren’t part of the original show did not know Hankin, therefore they didn’t feel like they should invite him.

Hankin went on to recall producers finally calling him up at last-minute to appear on the reunion but that their payment offer was not enough. He turned them down, and they ended up calling back and offered him more. Hankin agreed, and was surprised to see how he was treated once he showed up.

According to Hankin, he was not even allowed to say hi to the other Friends stars on set!

“They wouldn’t let me talk to anybody,” Hankin recalled. “And they sent me to a dressing room upstairs and said ‘go there and wait [until] we ask you to come down and be there on the show.'” Apparently, even when he asked if he could watch the show, he was told no. After he did his bit on on camera, according to Hankin, he was put in a car and sent away.

“So I am really angry at the people who produced the Friends reunion,” he stated. Watch the interview with Hankin in full below.

The main producers on

Friends: The Reunion

were Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane, who were also the producers of the original show. That said, Ben Winston was also a producer and the director of the reunion, and he had not been involved in the original series. Perhaps Winston is who Hankin is referring to in the interview. At this time, we’re not exactly sure and are just speculating.

We’re sure

Friends

fans feel so bad for Larry Hankin. Sure, he wasn’t one of the main six cast members of the show, but he still made an impact.