Aside from the six core characters, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Monica, Chandler, and Ross, the cast of Friends is vast, with a lot of roles that bring depth to the narrative, whilst others are there to add a bit of humor. The series delves into the lives of each leading character, but Phoebe’s life was always portrayed as the most unusual. Her eccentricity is celebrated by her friends and has led to dark fan theories. Throughout the series, she’s shown to love music. She writes and plays her own songs, which never fail to include controversial lyrics. She’s often depicted as a spirited and somewhat carefree character. The saddest part of Phoebe’s story is her relationship with her own family. She has a twin sister, Ursula (also played by Kudrow), with whom she doesn’t get on so well. Ursula is far more self-centered and has no real interest in Phoebe. Audiences learn that her father, Frank, abandoned his family when Phoebe was young, and the woman that Phoebe thought was her mother, Lily Buffay, had taken her own life. Phoebe went on to live on the streets.
Phoebe later met her real mother, Phoebe Abbott, and spent some time with her. She found out that Phoebe (Abbott) had given her and Ursula up for adoption, as she wasn’t prepared for motherhood. Phoebe’s tough upbringing gave definition to some of the random pieces of information she drops in conversation. Life on the street led her to an unfortunate connection with Ross that dated back to when he was a teen. He recalled a time when he was mugged by what he said was “a huge dude.” As it turned out, it was Phoebe. She didn’t condone her actions and was deeply apologetic. The complexity of her life made her one of the most interesting characters. There was a lot of sadness in her story, but the series showed her making connections that brought some peace. One of those was getting acquainted with a half-brother she never knew she had. Although fans didn’t meet him until Season 2, they actually had seen the actor earlier in the season.
Giovanni Ribisi Had an Unnamed Role in Season 2
Ribisi first appeared in Season 2, Episode 6, “The One with the Baby on the Bus.” Chandler and Joey had been entrusted with looking after Ben after Ross had an allergic reaction to Monica’s kiwi-lime pie. The siblings went to hospital once Ross reluctantly agreed to Joey and Chandler being babysitters. Their day was going well until they got distracted by two women and left Ben alone on a bus that drove off. He was tracked down at the Department of Human Services, but they then had the task of picking the right baby, which they just about managed. They weren’t planning on telling Ross about their ordeal, but when he was going to change Ben’s diaper, he noticed the stamp of “Property of Human Services.” As expected, he wasn’t best pleased.
Over at Central Perk, Terry had told Rachel to pass on the message to Phoebe that she would no longer be singing in the coffee house, as they were taking on a paid professional singer. Rachel convinces Terry to let her sing after the professional, which he agrees to. But when Phoebe finds out the other artist will be paid and she will be working for free, she refuses. Instead, in true Phoebe style, she stood just outside Central Perk, singing songs filled with anger. As the professional, Chrissie Hynde played her set, Rachel looked through the window at Phoebe, who was sitting on the pavement, counting the money she’d earned. Rachel was saddened to see her friend going through a difficult time, so she took her a cup of coffee and sat with her. She shows her support, telling Phoebe “Smelly Cat” is her favorite song. Phoebe told Rachel that she made 25 cents, and a condom had also been thrown in. After comforting her, a man runs around the corner to ask if he accidentally dropped a condom in Phoebe’s case. Phoebe hands it to him, and he runs off, saying, “Hey, Christina, I got it!” The man, who is now known to be “Condom boy,” was Ribisi. It was a short cameo but a funny scene that hints towards Ribisi’s aptitude for comedy.
Fans Thought he Was Playing Frank Jr.
Ribisi’s small part in Season 2 has often been mistaken as his first appearance as Frank on the show. “Condom boy” did seem to have the same humorous personality as Frank, and it wasn’t hard to believe that he’d have no qualms in asking a stranger for the condom he dropped. However, it wasn’t Frank Jr. Refinery29 confirmed that the two were separate characters. A writer from the show, Betsy Borns, explained that the executive producers enjoyed working with Ribisi. Having worked with him on a different show, their positive experience led to Ribisi getting a bigger role on Friends. Speaking about getting acting jobs, TheThings reported that Ribisi said, “A lot of it, you know, they would call up and say, ‘Come on, can you just come and do this thing? You’ve gotta throw the condom in it’ I think I was mainly focused on trying to do movies at the time. Whatever. So many times when I would do an episode, I would be working on another film. So honestly, I have vague recollections of it.”
Interacting with Phoebe in Season 2 actually could’ve been a small but memorable introduction to Frank Jr. Considering Ribisi played the character in a similar manner to his later performance as Phoebe’s brother, it wouldn’t have been too out of place to say that he was portraying Frank Jr. from the beginning. Fans would’ve enjoyed the link back to the earlier season, realizing that Phoebe had unknowingly met her brother. The characters wouldn’t have recognized each other at all, and it might’ve gone on to be acknowledged as the scene that almost reunited the siblings. This wasn’t the only time that an actor had played two different roles on Friends. June Gable made her debut on the show as a nurse in Season 1 when Carol gave birth to Ben. Gable later went on to play Estelle, Joey’s quirky acting agent. Gable was most famous for the latter role, although eagle-eyed viewers still loved watching the actor in another funny part earlier on.
Frank Jr. Becomes a Big Part of Phoebe’s Life
Further into Season 2, Phoebe and Frank Jr. officially met. In “The One With the Bullies,” Phoebe decided to meet her biological father, Frank Buffay. When a small but aggressive dog keeps her, Joey and Rachel stuck in the car, she took it as a sign that she wouldn’t meet her dad. As she drives away, she runs the dog over. Phoebe took the dog to the vet and later returned it to the house. She asked the woman who lived there if Frank was around. The woman shouted for Frank, but it was a younger man who came to the door, who couldn’t possibly be Phoebe’s father. The two worked out that they shared the same father and were related. Phoebe was disappointed to learn that her dad had walked out on his family, but she was glad to find out about her half-brother. They became important figures in each other’s lives. Phoebe feels protective over her younger brother, whilst Frank looks to her for guidance and support, never more so than when he asked her to be a surrogate for him and his partner, Alice. Phoebe decided to go through with it and got pregnant with their triplets. Letting go of the three babies she’d birthed was hard, but she always remained committed to making Frank and Alice happy.
