Adam Goldberg, who famously played Eddie during the second season of Friends has shared his thoughts on the lack of diversity associated with the sitcom (via The Radio Times).
Goldberg appeared as Eddie on Friends for three episodes in 1996. An unpredictable man, he is invited to live with Chandler after Joey leaves the apartment. Despite Chandler’s growing concerns about Eddie’s unsteady behaviour patterns, and multiple attempts at asking him to leave, Chandler’s new flatmate refuses to go.
(For context, watch Season 2, Episode 17: “The One Where Eddie Moves In” through to Eddie’s last, Season 2, Episode 19: “The One Where Eddie Won’t Go.”
As the sitcom, quite astonishingly, reaches 30 years since the first broadcasted episode (September 22, 1994), Goldberg spoke to The Independent ahead of the date, where the actor, also known for his work on Saving Private Ryan, recognised the lack of diversity.
“In terms of diversity, looking back, it seems insane,” he said. “I’ve heard Black people speak about this and it’s like, you never expected to see yourself, so when you didn’t, it was not a surprise, and you ended up identifying to characters, irrespective of their race.”
Goldberg considers that the lack of diversity was not an issue distinct to the show, but more typically across American television for the era, suggesting “the entire culture” was at fault, while “television was just an amplification of that culture.”
Later in the interview, Goldberg touched upon his experiences working alongside Matthew Perry, who passed away in 2023. He said Perry had “great comedy chops” and remembered “just joking around a lot, having a lot of really quick repartee… I’m so happy to be part of the show’s legacy.”
All ten seasons of Friends can be streamed on Netflix in the UK.
