Friends was known for featuring countless A-list guest stars, but undoubtedly the most adorable special guest came in the form of Cole Sprouse, who played Ross' young son, Ben. His character showed up multiple times throughout the show's 10-year run, however, Sprouse revealed his favorite Friends episode of all-time during a recent interview with Today.com and his choice is a timeless classic that will make you want to go back and watch it ASAP — while also maybe putting you in the holiday spirit a little early this year.
Sprouse's pick was titled "The One with the Holiday Armadillo," which originally aired on Dec. 14, 2000. It was the tenth episode of Season 7 and revolved around Ross attempting to introduce Ben to Hanukkah in a fun and exciting way. Initially, he had wanted to dress up as Santa to help Ben get excited about his jewish heritage, but when he couldn't find a costume in time, he went with one that was available: an armadillo, of course!
“I remember that quite well,” Sprouse said to Today.com about the episode in question. “I was infatuated with the costumes, and the practical effects that they had. That was probably my most memorable thing to shoot.”
Friends was known for delivering great holiday-centric episodes throughout the years. Most notably the show made a name for itself by shifting its holiday focus mainly on Thanksgiving — an event that is featured much less on the small screen than Christmas. But that didn't mean the series couldn't switch gears to focus on some good old fashioned yuletide joy when the opportunity presented itself and the introduction to the holiday armadillo was a notable standout. So it's no surprise it sticks out in Sprouse's mind as well, who was just 8 years old at the time. And even though it's been 17 years since the Riverdale star appeared on the hit series, it's still the project he gets asked about the most.
“With the success of Riverdale, people ended up going back and realizing I was on Friends, because both shows are on Netflix,” Sprouse explained during the same interview with Today.com. “And they ended up kind of discovering that I was there, which was weird. 'Cause I was never really recognized for that, for a long time.”
But while Sprouse may have felt like he was flying under the radar, his costars could not have been more in the spotlight. (But hey, that'll happen when you're part of one of the world's most popular sitcoms.) Sprouse recalled how much fun he had on set with everyone, though, it was his time with Jennifer Aniston that will forever stick out in his mind, particularly due to the fact that he had a crush on her at the time of filming.
“I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Jennifer Aniston, which the whole world had at that point. But I do remember being quite intimidated around her, because of that," Sprouse recalled, adding:
"I remember blanking on my lines, and having a kind of stage fright when she sat next to me on the couch in one episode. And I remember there was a camera man who was like, ‘Little boy's got a crush,’ or I forget what they said. Of course, I turned bright red. But I do remember feeling like I fell in love.”
If only he'd been able to ask the holiday armadillo for some advice. He would've known what to do.
