‘I’d sob in my trailer’: Tate Donovan reveals messy split from Jennifer Aniston
It may still rate as the world’s most popular sitcom, but spare a thought for the actor whose cameo role came with a side order of heartache when he split from Jennifer Aniston.
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Exclusive: It may still rate as the world’s most popular sitcom, but spare a thought for one-time guest star Tate Donovan, whose cameo on the series came with a side order of heartache.
Donovan, now 53, played millionaire businessman Joshua Burgin, who wins the love of his personal shopper, Rachel Green — famously played for 10 seasons by The Morning Wars star, Jennifer Aniston.
Up until the offer came for Donovan to play his part in the pop culture phenomenon, he and Aniston had been one of Hollywood’s power couples for the two years they dated.
But here’s where he says it got “tricky” – with the romance ending, just as he accepted a six-episode stint in season four.
Back then, Aniston thought it was an April’s Fool joke when her ex called to say he’d signed on to her show.
For his part, Donovan tells News Corp Australia he hoped the experience might give the couple a chance to work through things; but in hindsight found it harder than it looked on paper.
“It was so dumb,” he laughs. “Just a bone-headed move. I was young and genuinely thought it would help, but there were times I’d just finish a scene and go sob in my trailer.”
The tight-knit cast, including Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt Le Blanc, were “so compassionate and understood what was going on,” Donovan says. “They were really supportive.”
“At the time, I was like ‘oh God, why did I do this to myself? But now I look back on it and think it was a great thing I did those episodes, on this great show, even during that tricky time.”
The popularity of the show, now streaming on BINGE, can be put down to the extraordinary chemistry between the key cast, who were bonded by the experience of seeing it skyrocket around the world.
“Even now, they genuinely love each other and enjoy each other and get a kick out of each other,” said Donovan, who is now married and lives in Austin, Texas with his nurse wife and 15-year-old son, Luke.
“They really are the best of friends. Every single one of them loved each other equally. They’d go on vacations together. They were just this tight knit group and I think the writers and the producers were very clever and really smart and tapped into that once-in-a-lifetime chemistry.”
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Despite his split from Aniston, those days hanging out on the set of Friends were some of his happiest times in the business – made fun by the antics of its stars, such as Perry’s pants-free pranks.
“I remember one time I was in Jen’s dressing room, just hanging out and waiting for a scene to start and he just walked by, just casually, with no pants, for no other reason than to make us laugh … he’s just hilarious.”
Filmed each Friday before a live studio audience, Donovan said the experience was “the most fun an actor can have.”
“You have the energy of a live audience, but because it’s television, if you mess up, you can go back and do another take. And the audience loved it when you messed up … they felt so a part of it.”
While his Friends stint was brief, the credit helped catapult him onto other prime-time shows – including Damages, opposite Aussie actor Rose Byrne, and starring with Toni Collette in Hostages.
“Rose Byrne, I think, is one of the great actors alive. She can do anything and is as much fun as a human being can be,” he enthuses, “I am so happy I got to work with her those five years.”
His experience directing another Aussie, Ben Mendelsohn, in the acclaimed US drama series Bloodlines was also a happy one, Donovan recalls, declaring the actor “just wow, amazing.”
While Collette was the reason why he signed on to Hostages, Donovan thinks the show was not a good fit for her.
“Toni is such a talented actress but I don’t think she had a great time working on this television show. It was kind of ill-conceived but man, she’s in all my favourite movies.”
His connection with our talent continued recently when he directed Alex O’Loughlin in an episode of Hawaii Five-O – predicting big things ahead for the Canberra-born leading man.
“That dude … I was really impressed with him. He’s done that show for 10 years, but let me tell you something, every single scene, every single line, he is completely committed. I guarantee you, he’s going to break out and do some great things.”
Donovan’s latest TV project, a pilot directed by Philip Noyce, “another great Australian” is a chance to find itself filming here; after COVID shuttered production in New Orleans earlier this year – with Oscar-winner Melissa Leo and Donovan playing brother and sister in the Fox production, Blood Relatives.
“She plays a genetic DNA scientist and I play a detective and we try to solve all these crimes together. It’s really smart and really fun. [Philip] has been trying to get it shot in Australia, but it takes place in New Orleans so is a tough sell. But man, I would love to go to Australia and work … that sounds like fun to me.”
* Friends is streaming now on BINGE.