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    1. Culture

    This is why Ben from Friends found it hard to film scenes with Jennifer Aniston

    And it’s adorable.

    Jenny Proudfoot's avatar
    By Jenny Proudfoot
    Published 26 August 2022 In Features

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    (Image credit: NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
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    And it’s adorable.

    It still feels like yesterday that Friends left our screens, when in fact, it's actually been 18 years - something that only becomes clear when we see how much the actors have changed. Namely, the show's child stars, with Cole Sprouse, best known for playing Ross' son Ben, now 30-years-old and starring in Netflix teen drama Riverdale. Yes, we feel old too.

    The actor, who played the part of Ben for seven episodes when he was eight years old, has previously opened up about the experience.

    "It was quite intimidating but it was a really wonderful experience," Sprouse recalled. "They were all tremendously nice. The scale was just tremendous and you felt it when you stepped on set, even as a kid. It was challenging because I was a small kid who was working with these sort of megalithic actors at the time."

    Getty Images

    It wasn’t the scale of the show that was Cole’s main concern, however, with the actor revealing that it was his feelings for Jennifer Aniston that made filming so difficult.

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    "I had a really, really hard time working with Aniston because I was so in love with her", he explained to The New York Post. "I was infatuated. I was speechless. I’d get all bubbly and forget my lines and go completely blank. It was difficult."

    He went on to explain that despite going on to star in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, with his twin brother Dylan, he still gets recognised as Ben by the general public.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

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    "I was only in seven episodes, but it’s funny now that people are recognising me for that because my brother and I have been working since we were 8 months old", he explained. "Because Friends is on Netflix, there’s a renewed interest from that. People can call me 'Ben' on the street and I will turn around."

    Well, this is lovely.

    Jenny Proudfoot
    Jenny Proudfoot
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    Contributing Features Editor

    Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

    In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.

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