Big Bang Theory fans find star hidden in background of Friends
CBSThere’s a Big Bang Theory and Friends connection no one noticed, but the cameo appearance in Friends is a well-known character TBBT fans would spot.
It’s not uncommon for actors to take small gigs as an extra for a few episodes, where they appear in the background of scenes. On Reddit, a fan noticed Big Bang Theory actor Brian Thomas Smith is in the background of a Friends episode from Season 8.
“Behind Chandler and his boss at the strip club, stares directly at Matthew Perry. Looks exactly like a younger Zack. It’s not on his IMDb but nonspeaking extra roles rarely are.” the fan explained.
“All I’ve found is that he was on Amazing Race in 2005 and also in international beer commercials with Jennifer Aniston, ironically but nothing prior to then. This would have been filmed likely in 2001 when he was 23-24 years old.”
The Friends episode is when Chandler is already married to Monica. But when his boss, Doug, invites them for dinner, Chandler makes up the lie that he and Monica split up. Why? Because Monica hates Doug, so Chandler makes up the ridiculous lie to have her not go.
But Doug’s heartbroken over his own divorce, so he has Chandler become his wingman. One of their outings is to a strip club, where Smith is seen in the background.
Smith played the role of Zack Johnson years later in The Big Bang Theory. His character was Penny’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, who made his first appearance in Season 3.
Per the storyline, he and Penny get married on a whim in Las Vegas. They later learn the marriage was real and have it annulled.
In the sitcom, Leonard hated Zack because he was the exact opposite of him. Zack was tall, handsome, and had good hair. But unlike Leonard, he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. His last appearance was in Season 12.
If looking for more into the Big Bang Theory universe, you can check out how Young Sheldon paid homage to the series. Also, check out details about the Georgie and Mandy spinoff and new series to stream.