The actor behind Mr. Heckles from Friends has revealed feelings of being ‘mistreated’ during the 2021 reunion of the show’s cast.
For those who love Friends, Mr. Heckles is a memorable character; the bothersome downstairs neighbor known for fabricating stories about owning cats or birds, annoying the group of friends living above.
Heckles often knocked on the ceiling to urge the residents above to keep quiet, a routine that ended dramatically when he was found dead, carried out in a body bag.
This event occurred in 1995 with the airing of ‘The One Where Heckles Dies,’ but the actor who played Mr. Heckles, Larry Hankin, is still alive and recently shared his thoughts on his treatment during the reunion.
Despite appearing in just five episodes, Hankin’s portrayal of Heckles left a lasting impression, resulting in his invitation to participate in the 2021 reunion with stars Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc.
Hankin, however, alleges he was not well-treated during the reunion, as reported by Sportskeeda.
In a virtual interview, Hankin recounted: “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’.”
“So I am really angry at the people who produced the Friends reunion,” he continued.
Hankin elaborated on his Friends experience in an interview with Cracked last year.
He highlighted: “Overall, I did five episodes of Friends, and Mr. Heckles became very famous. Here’s the thing, though: On your sixth show, you became a recurring character, which meant a big bump in pay.”
While this development would excite many actors, Hankin soon realized he wouldn’t receive such a benefit.
He shared: “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’.
“Going into that shoot, I had a chip on my shoulder. I was going to let the producers know that I wasn’t happy.”
Although Hankin voiced his dissatisfaction about his character’s death, he quickly calmed down when a female producer asked him gently: “Larry, can we talk about this a little later?”
Despite not getting the resolution he hoped for on Friends, Hankin has continued to find success in other significant projects like Breaking Bad.