How The Pitt Star Noah Wyle Really Feels About His Friends Cameo Today
Before Noah Wyle brought us the best new medical drama in years with "The Pitt," he was most well-known for playing Dr. John Carter on what remains the gold standard of the genre: "ER." The actor was one of the main cast members of the popular NBC series from the very beginning and would remain a major part of the show for 11 seasons. Wyle left "ER" in 2004, though his character returned for a few episodes in later seasons. But back in 1994, when the show debuted, John Carter was a humble medical student at the series' fictionalized version of Chicago's Cook County Hospital. That same year, NBC debuted another show that would similarly become one of the most celebrated and culturally influential in the history of TV. The pilot episode of "Friends" aired on September 22, 1994, just three days after the very first "ER" installment was broadcast, and the two shows went on to become some of the most popular titles not just on NBC but TV in general.
It made sense, then, that Wyle and his "ER" co-star George Clooney guest-starred in "Friends" during the show's debut season. In the sitcom's first ever two-part episode, "The One With Two Parts, Part 2," Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) falls and sprains her ankle, prompting a trip to the hospital, where she's accompanied by Monica (Courteney Cox). There, the pair decide to swap identities so that Rachel can use Monica's health insurance, but things get complicated when they meet a pair of handsome doctors in the form of Wyle's Dr. Rosen and Clooney's Dr. Mitchell. The group arrange a double date, but when the doctors make their way to Monica's apartment for dinner, the girls have trouble remembering their switched identities.
The two-part episode aired February 23, 1995, just as both "Friends" and "ER" were taking off in a major way. For Wyle, however, what seemed like a pretty important cameo — one that could have helped bolster both series' standing as two of the best shows on TV — was simply a bit of fun.
Noah Wyle was friends with the Friends cast
Speaking to the Television Academy in 2024, Noah Wyle explained how his "Friends" cameo came about. "We [the 'ER' cast] would go over there and watch them tape ['Friends']. We would wrap, and then we'd go over there and watch them tape their show just because we were all buddies. And I think the fact that we were there hanging out put a bug in — put the idea in somebody's mind." Surely, NBC was already thinking of a way it could cross-promote its two biggest shows of the season, and having Wyle and George Clooney guest star on "Friends" was the perfect solution, especially since Wyle and the "Friends" cast were actually quite close off-air already.
Wyle had known many members of the NBC sitcom's ensemble for years before their respective shows took off. As the actor explained in his Television Academy interview, "The very first job I ever got was a two-part TV miniseries with Robert Urich and Joanna Kerns called 'Blind Faith,' and I went to the network and tested with ['Friends' star] Matt Perry five years before 'ER' and 'Friends.'" What's more, Wyle was real-life buddies with several other members of the "Friends" cast. As he told Entertainment Weekly's "The Awardist" podcast:
"We were also collegiate back in the old days. I knew a lot of them before our shows broke. I was friends with Matthew [Perry], I was friends with Jennifer [Aniston]. I knew a lot of people that knew David [Schwimmer] and Lisa [Kudrow]. It was all very social and collegiate. We all auditioned for the same stuff."
As you might expect, Wyle had a great time filming his "Friends" cameo and remains fond of the experience some 30 years later.
Noah Wyle didn't feel any pressure during his Friends cameo
As Noah Wyle put it during his EW podcast appearance, "It just seemed like the lowest hanging fruit to cross-pollinate for the network to have us be on their show," with the actor adding, "But it seemed totally natural because we were all hanging out anyway." At the time, you might think Wyle would have felt some pressure, what with the then-burgeoning success of both "ER" and "Friends." But it seems he saw the whole thing as an extension of his off-camera life. As the "Pitt" star told EW:
"I remember thinking it was almost like a gas that we were doing it. It was just doing a walk-on. I didn't think it had any pressure or attendant pageantry. That's how naive I was. I'm sure at all the levels above us, they were just thrilled at this like, 'We're taking the guys from the 'ER!' We're putting them on 'Friends!'""
With "The Pitt" proving immensely popular after its debut season, Wyle will surely be feeling a bit of pressure now, especially since "The Pitt" season 2 will put him in a completely different role. The actor wowed audiences and critics with his season 1 portrayal of Dr. Michael Robinavitch, a character who, over the course of what turns into a 15-hour shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, endures some of the most harrowing experiences an emergency doctor can have, eventually breaking down under the weight of it all. Season 2 will also see Wyle stepping into a directorial role for an episode, as well as continuing to lead and executive produce the series. He'll even be writing four episodes, which is about as much pressure as any lead actor needs.
Still, no matter how tough making "The Pitt" gets, Wyle will always have the memory of being a young, naive actor guest-starring on "Friends." As he told EW, "I go back and I've seen those clips now and I just can't believe what a baby face I have — I look more like my 19-year-old daughter than I do now. It's crazy."