It was already 15 years since Friends ended, and it is the same number of years that James Michael Tyler, who played the Central Perk boss Gunther, claimed Jennifer Aniston hasn't spoken to him. The 57-year-old star also revealed he hadn't seen the 50-year-old actress since the show's wrap up the party when it ended.
Tyler surprised everyone when he appeared on This Morning to mark Friends 25th anniversary. In contrary to his character's look in the series, he now has dark hair and glasses, looking very unrecognizable from the Gunther fans used to know.
Rachel described him as someone who has "hair brighter than the sun." However, the two haven't seen each other for over a decade.
"I haven't seen Jennifer since the wrap party, honestly. It's been 15 years since it ended," Tyler said, via Metro News. "That was the time of our lives when we were lucky enough to be able to work together for 10 years and have that sort of chemistry."
Friends had been on the air for 10 years, from 1994 to 2004. Throughout its 10-year run, it received a lot of acclaims and even became one of the most popular television shows of all time. As its stars are believed to be very close to each other, so, why Tyler and Anniston haven't seen each other for a long while?
Tyler explained Anniston lives in another city, and there is no reason for him to go and wait outside her house just to see her and say hello. He even admitted it would be kind of weird if he did it.
However, despite non-communication, Tyler insisted he is not taking the snub personally. He even told Daily Star Sunday there is nothing personal about it as actors move on after doing a project. He knew it had been a long time they were together, and they now have different lives. As he is now married and others, too, he said things change.
Initially, Tyler's role was meant to be only an extra on the show. However, Gunther became a surprise hit with Friends fans. It was said to be because of his pining over Rachel, although he barely spoke.
Did the two ever have the chance to be together on the series? Tyler went on to say there was this storyline where his dream came true when Rachelle moved in with him. However, it never pushed through. When he read the first draft of the script, he quickly thought it would never going to happen.
