Tate Donovan on starring in Friends after his split from Jennifer Aniston: ‘It was tough – I was heartbroken’
Tate Donovan’s Joshua entered the Friends universe in the 1998 episode “The One with Rachel’s Crush”. He played said crush, a client of hers at Bloomingdale’s with sandy curls and woolly jumpers – and the first man Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) ever asks out. She fancied him so much she couldn’t stop repeating his name: “Josh-ooh-ah. Josh-ua.” That said, Joshua spent most of his five-episode arc entirely oblivious to her feelings.
Their behind-the-scenes dynamic couldn’t have been more different – in reality, the two actors had been dating for two years, and were in the process of breaking up when Donovan was cast on the show. There were certainly feelings involved, and no one was oblivious to them.
Speaking 26 years on from sunny Texas, after a career that’s seen roles in The OC, Argo and Rocketman, Donovan tells me about his experience of filming the show, from how hard it was to shoot his scenes with his ex-girlfriend to why he thought of Matthew Perry as the “beating heart” of the sitcom.
I have to admit, I’ve loved rewatching Friends in preparation for this interview.
English people in general are just obsessed with Friends. It blows my mind. Jen and I dated for two years – when we went to England together, it was like being with a Beatle. We had to say we were having reservations at one restaurant and then go to another. There were fake cars and everything, all to avoid the paparazzi.
Then I did a play with Judi Dench on Broadway [Amy’s View in 1997], and it was directed by Richard Eyre, a titan in the world of theatre. We went out for dinner at this beautiful restaurant and I’m just imagining all the questions about theatre I could ask. So, we sit down and he’s like, “Tell me about Friends.” He was obsessed with f***ing Friends and all he wanted to know about was Joey and what Courteney Cox is really like, and this episode here and that scene there.
I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t get a word in edgewise. I thought we were going to talk about Shakespeare and the Globe, but nothing. The National Theatre? Forget about it. Nothing could top Friends.
You joined Friends 26 years ago – what was it like starring on it so soon after breaking up with Jennifer Aniston?
I’d been dating Jen for years, and I knew the cast. Every Friday night it was just like a ritual – I’d go over there and watch the taping, and it was always such a blast. Then Jen and I broke up, but we didn’t really tell anyone.
I had always mentioned to the producers that it’s always hilarious when Jen, who’s this gorgeous woman, is madly in love with somebody and the guy just doesn’t see it. It cracked me up. I’d seen it when we first started dating – she did an episode where Rachel was on a date with a guy and the guy was just not into her, and she was falling all over herself. It works because that’s not really how she is in life, but she can act it so well.
And so, the producers came to me and said, “Hey, we want you to do a five-episode arc where you guys are dating and you’re not really that into her.” And I was like, “Oh, so you’re gonna do that thing.” We were just breaking up and I, for some weird reason, thought that maybe working together would ease the breakup. Maybe we’d become friends quicker. I just wanted to go gently into the good night – we both did.
You thought it would change the dynamic in a good way?
Yes, but it was very tough. Everyone was so supportive, but it was hard. It’s like going to class when you’re in high school and you’ve broken up with the girl who you sat next to and… argh, it’s tough.
But it makes you a pro – it’s like, OK, we got over it. Nobody knows; the audience isn’t gonna know; the audience is gonna think just the opposite. When I look back on it, I’m like, “Wow, good for you, man. That was pretty good.”
There have been reports that you two were engaged, are they true?
No, that wasn’t true. We did live together for a little while, but we were never engaged.
Watching it back, there’s no hint of heartbreak. You both disguise it very well.
Looking back at it now, the thing that just kills me is that Matt Perry was the beating heart of that whole cast. He was the funniest.
When you do a sitcom, you do your scenes and then you get out – you don’t really pay attention to the other scenes. But Matt Perry watched every scene that everyone was in. He certainly watched every scene that I was in. He was such a champion of mine. He was so sweet. He was the only one who called me when me and Jen broke up. And we ran into each other throughout the years, and he was always so incredibly supportive.
