Working as a guest star on Friends could have provided major benefits. Take Christina Applegate as an example, the actress thrived during her guest spot, and walked away from the experience with an Emmy.
Brooke Shields also guest-starred. In truth, the actress had an eventful career, that also holds true off-camera. There are several examples including her past history with Tom Cruise and the famous rant from the actor. However, Shields also faced other drama with ex-Andre Agassi.
In the following, we're going to take a closer look at how Agassi impacted Shields' stint on Friends. We'll also reveal how her gig opened up different doors, and would lead to a sitcom of her own shortly after.
Brooke Shields Credits Her Role On Friends For Opening Up Other Opportunities
Brooke Shields had the full intent of making her cameo on Friends a memorable one. However, the showrunners worried that her scene was a little too much given how wacky her character was. The scene included Shields licking Matt LeBlanc's fingers. Although they wanted to remove the scene, Shields fought to keep it in given how absurd it all was.
"What was so affirming about it was that, in the first take, they didn't want me to do the crazy laugh and the licking of his fingers," she said. "We had done it in rehearsal, and they said, 'It's too crazy. Don't do it,'" she added. "And I begged for it. 'It's so funny. It just makes her crazier. And she's pretty, so she needs to really be crazy.' And they were, like, 'No, no," she tells EW.
They avoided it during the first take, but during the second, Shields was given the okay. Suddenly, it created a lively atmosphere behind the camera and in addition, Shields believes the scene got her a sitcom of her own, Suddenly Susan.
"We did the first take, and it was fine. And then the second take, they scream, 'Shields! Put it back in!' All of a sudden, the energy changed, and all these men in suits started coming into the studio. The next day, I was asked if I wanted to do my own television show."
Although the moment was better than Shields could have imagined, the response wasn't the same for the actress at home.
Andre Agassi Snapped After He Watched Brooke Shields' Cameo On Friends
It was a different reality for Brooke Shields off-camera. At the time, ex-Andre Agassi was not pleased with the way things played out. According to Shields, the former tennis star stormed off the set, and was apparently embarrassed by the scene. Shields felt as though it was all lighthearted given that she was playing a role in a comedy. In addition, Shields would later learn that her former partner was also struggling with addiction issues at the time.
Shields revealed, "He said, 'Everybody's making fun of me. You made a fool of me by that behavior.' I'm, like, 'It's comedy! What is the matter with you?'" Shields said. "I learned later that he was addicted to crystal meth at that point, so that irrational behavior I'm sure had something to do with that."
After just two years of marriage between 1997 and 1999, the two stars would go their own ways and separate. However, things would later take another turn once Andre Agassi released his book.
Brooke Shields Called Andre Agassi A 'Very Controlling Person'
"I married a very controlling person," she said. "I married an industry. I married a conglomerate. I could disappear in it, and I loved it, and I needed it. I needed to be able to separate from my mom, and I needed a cushion. He took care of everything."
Those are the words Brooke Shields used to describe her relationship alongside Andre Agassi. It seems like things took a turn even after their split. Shields recalls Agassi asking for notes about their time together, but not using any of the suggestions.
"He asked me to read all the parts I was in, and I thought that was very generous. So I spent five hours with his ghostwriter. I made sure he knew that I penned my own books -- I threw that in there."
"He said, 'I don't remember dates, but you have diaries, and you have all this stuff, so please help fix the things I don't remember,'" she continued. "And I said, 'Okay.'"
Ultimately, Shields' experiences weren't shared in the book given that Agassi didn't remember the events that occurred in this specific way.
"I got a letter -- a typed letter -- about a month later saying, 'Thank you so much for your time. Unfortunately, I couldn't change any of the things that you corrected because that's not how I remember it, and it is my book.' And I was like, 'What?!'"
In 2001, Shields tied the knot with director, and producer, Chris Henchy. The couple have two children.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiYp5yimnqis8CsqqJlmJaxbq2MrZinrKKqum6txa2cq2WYmnq0rdZmmaunn6Cybr%2FHopylnKNisrG10qibnmWfo3qnvsiepZ2rXay2tbSMppitrF2hsqO4wKeaaA%3D%3D