Steve Zahn still gets recognized for his guest spot on Friends

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Steve Zahn has been a part of a lot of big movies in his career — Reality Bites, That Thing You Do!, Out of Sight — and yet, the one role he’s still recognized for most, was a guest starring spot on Friends.

In the season 2 episode of the massively-popular NBC sitcom, Zahn played Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) husband. “I was so nervous,” says the actor. “It’s so hard to do these. Sitcoms are hard, man! They’re really difficult. They say it’s just like theater; there’s an audience. No, it isn’t! It’s not even close to theater.”

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The memorable episode sees Zahn’s character Duncan, a Canadian ice dancer, show up to ask Phoebe for a divorce from their Green Card marriage because he’s realized he’s not in fact gay and wants to marry another woman. “This show: people were into,” says Zahn. “Remember, at this time, when this show is playing, there’s, like, 40 million people watching this show!”

Because of the show’s mass appeal, even today, Zahn can’t escape being associated with Duncan and the show, despite his small character arc. “This is what? Four days work in my life?” he says. “I have people around the world that come up and go, ‘Ah, Friends.'”

Watch the clip above.

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