Friends Mr Heckles actor ‘really angry’ with how he was treated during reunion show in 2021

Larry Hankin, known for playing the character Mr. Heckles on Friends, has spoken about his experience during the show’s 2021 reunion.

Hankin, who appeared in five episodes as the eccentric and irritable downstairs neighbour, claims he was not treated well when the main cast reunited.

Mr Heckles was known for his persistent ceiling-banging and bizarre complaints about imaginary pets, adding a memorable touch of humour to the show.

The character met his on-screen end in 1995’s episode The One Where Heckles Dies. However, Hankin’s association with the show didn’t end there.

When the main cast—Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc—reunited in 2021, Hankin was invited to participate.

However, in a virtual interview (via Sportskeeda), he expressed disappointment with how he was treated.

According to Hankin, he was isolated from the rest of the cast.

Hankin recalled, “They wouldn’t let me talk to anybody. And they sent me to a dressing room upstairs and said, ‘Go there and wait [until] we ask you to come down and be there on the show’.”

The actor further expressed his disappointment, “So I am really angry at the people who produced the Friends reunion.”

In a previous interview with Cracked, Hankin shared more about his time on the iconic sitcom.

Despite the popularity of Mr. Heckles, Hankin revealed that after his fifth appearance, he expected to become a recurring character, which would have come with a substantial pay raise.

However, that was not to be.

He said, “I got a call from my agent saying, ‘I have good news and bad news.”

“First, Friends called for your fifth appearance…’ In that moment, I thought, ‘I have a house.’ Then he said, ‘You have a heart attack and die.'”

Disappointed by the news, Hankin admitted he went into the shoot with a chip on his shoulder and confronted the producers about being killed off.

He remembers being stopped in his tracks by a female producer who gently suggested discussing the matter later.

Hankin said, “Going into that shoot, I had a chip on my shoulder. I was going to let the producers know that I wasn’t happy. After we taped, I lost it.”

He went on to add, “I went over to the producers and shouted, ‘What did you do!?!’ Everybody just shut up.”

“They were all understandably startled. A female producer quietly leaned in and said, ‘Larry, can we talk about this a little later?’”

Although Hankin didn’t get the ending he hoped for on Friends, he continued to build his career, landing roles in other major shows like Breaking Bad.

After the 2021 Friends reunion, there have been talks about a Friends revival, but the chances seemed low, especially with the characters ageing and their stories wrapped up.

With the recent passing of Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, the chances of a revival have become even more challenging.

Perry’s role was crucial to the show’s humour and dynamic, which makes it hard to picture Friends without him.