TALK OF THE TOWN: What a way to treat Friends!

Many people dream of meeting the cast of Friends – but imagine if you appeared to cause a rift between Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox?

That’s what my Hollywood spies tell me happened to a new arrival in LA, adding: ‘When my friend moved to Hollywood, Courteney invited her for drinks at her house. 

Courteney handed her a bottle of rosé and asked if she would top up the glasses of other guests – including Jennifer Aniston. 

Courteney Cox (left) and Jennifer Aniston (right) have remained close even after Friends

The pair often play a prank on new arrivals involving a bottle of Chateau Miraval – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s wine

Jennifer took one look at the bottle, gasped, started crying and screamed, ‘I can’t believe you’ve done this to me, Courteney – I am SO humiliated! You know I can’t be in the presence of that wine’. 

The rosé was Chateau Miraval – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s wine.’

The newcomer was mortified and about to leave until Aniston, and Cox reappeared in fits of giggles and confessed it was a prank they often played on new acquaintances. With Friends like these…

Has Edward Fox retired without us even noticing? In these strange times, fans of the acting legend may have assumed his disappearance from stage and screen was just a result of him heading off to the country to lock down.

His son Freddie certainly seems to think the move could be permanent, and said: ‘My dad is more or less retired now, in Dorset.’

But when I spoke to Edward and Freddie’s agent, who after all has a vested interest in keeping them both in the acting game, she said: ‘Certainly not. He’s far too young, great actors never retire!’

Edward, 84, pictured with Joanna David, is head of the famous Fox acting dynasty which also includes his daughter Emilia, brother James and nephews Laurence and Jack

Edward, 84, is head of the famous Fox acting dynasty which also includes his daughter Emilia, brother James and nephews Laurence and Jack.

Maybe Freddie and his agent need to take a lesson from the veteran actor and get their lines right!

As bad days at work go, few can top the one Samara Weaving had when she auditioned for the role of Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Of Grey… and had to rehearse the risque dialogue with her dad! 

She says: ‘I got an audition and the deadline was two days. None of my friends were around, just me, mum and dad. The scenes were the girls gossiping about their sex lives. I was like, ‘Hey, Dad…?’

As bad days at work go, few can top the one Samara Weaving had when she auditioned for the role of Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Of Grey… and had to rehearse the risque dialogue with her dad!

‘He got so into it. He was like, ‘Tell me everything… was he any good?’. He became this sexy little lady character in this 60-year-old man.’

Samara, 29, adds: ‘I didn’t get that role…’